The Art Of Online Dating
by Delilah Lovett
Summary: Bella and Alice have decided to try eHarmony just before going off to college. Will they find Mr. Right? Follow their adventures as they meet some handsome men online and discover what love is, and isn't. AU AH Kinda OOC BxE, AxJ, RxEm. R&R please
1. Strike A Pose

**A/N: I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 1: Strike A Pose**

**BPOV**

Finally. High school was over. Summer was actually 3 months long for a change. In September, which sadly was already only a week away, I'd be taking my first semester at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. Summer had gone by too quickly, but I was more than excited to start college.

Alice Brandon, my best friend since I was 12, and I had both gotten our acceptances the same day. Of course, we immediately set up a sleepover and chatted excitedly about how far we'd come and what cute boys we had to look forward to meeting in college.

There were slim pickings in the town we grew up in, Forks. Alice's older brother Emmett was basically the cutest guy in town, but I only thought of him as a brother. Alice and her family were beautiful.

Alice was a small framed girl, standing at about five feet tall. She had short, black, spiky hair, and brilliant dark blue eyes. Her brother, Emmett, stood at about six foot three and he was muscular. He had dark brown, curly hair, but he had light blue eyes, like his mothers. To Alice and I, he was like a giant teddy bear and our bodyguard. He had graduated last year and was already attending Cornish.

Alice and I decided that tomorrow, we would go shopping for all our dorm necessities: bedding, mini-fridge, laptop accessories, stereo, new clothes, desk items, etc. We had to get new clothes because, I mean, how do we expect to impress big Seattle boys wearing the same clothes we had in high school? Alice had always had a great sense of style, but she still wanted to amp it up, make it more adult like, and a little more alluring to the boys.

This idea also meant that she would be redoing my complete wardrobe to her liking and standards. I for one had been perfectly comfortable in band tees and jeans along with my slip on vans. Of course, none of this was acceptable for Alice. This was going to be one hell of a shopping trip.

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I woke up bright on early on another summer day, thanks once again, to Alice. She had no concept of sleeping in unfortunately, but at least it meant I actually did something with my summer.

I got up and grabbed a convertible bra, some panties, and a normal outfit of a t-shirt and jeans, then quickly got in the shower. I knew the bra would come in handy trying on all kinds of clothes because it's harder to assess the look of a strapless or halter shirt with your straps hanging out.

Alice came and picked me up in her yellow Honda S2000. It was as outlandish and cute as her. It was only two seats, so I hoped that would deter her from going overboard while shopping, although usually it didn't. She was wearing a flowing, white, spaghetti-strapped top with some dark, denim skinny jeans and sparkling, black flats.

When we got to the mall, we went straight to Robb & Stucky. Alice quickly went over to the Laura Kirar collection and looked for things to put in the house we would be living in with Emmett. She found a nice-looking, gray couch and a cute, black coffee table, with black and gray, speckled marble on top. She also found the perfect bedspread for her. It was gold with a silvery, flower design all-over with matching all-gold and all-silver pillows to adorn it with. The total came to a mere 8,000.00 for her, which was almost nothing considering both of her parents were accomplished anesthesiologists.

Since I refused to let her pick my bed spread there, we went over to the Bed, Bath, and Beyond next door. I found the perfect crimson bedspread with a reversible side of medium-sized hot pink hearts on a crimson background to add a touch of flavor to the plain bedspread when I actually made my bed or to tone it down should I reverse it. It was perfect and it came with matching pillow cases that could be flip-flopped, as well. I immediately, grabbed the last set for queen size and put it in our cart.

We ended up finding a cheap mini-fridge as well as many cute lamps to adorn the room in. Next it was on to an Office Depot for desks and accessories. We found a great desk for a great deal and then gathered up all school supplies we may need as well as a couple cooling pads for our laptops. I got some new sketch-pads, a Tablet for making images send directly to my laptop, new colored pencils, and plenty of pens, pencils, hi-lighters, and notebooks. Once we finished there, it was finally time for the dreaded clothing part of the shopping trip. First stop, Express.

Express had beautiful clothes that would look amazing on Alice and had outrageous prices. I never understood why she brought me here before, but now we were trying to update my look. I wasn't exactly sure how well this would go. I found a couple cute outfits to try on and was excited to know I was still a size two. This made me feel a little more comfortable shopping in such a high end store.

I ended up finding a cute, black, pleated mini skirt, a couple white and black button-up shirts, nice skinny jeans, cute flats, and some knee-high socks to go with the mini-skirt. I knew one day I would have to wear it with a mini tie to get the whole school girl outfit going on, since for some reason guys seem to go ga-ga over it. By the time we left that one store Alice already had eight bags, compared to my two. I laughed trying to figure out how she would make it back to the car in time to drop them off before we continued shopping.

Surprisingly we made it to the car and then we headed to Forever 21. We found plenty of other amazingly cute outfits there, hit a couple more stores, like BCBG, Bebe, and Papaya on the way out. Of course, we also had to hit Victoria's Secret because who knew sexy better than them, right? By the time we got back to the car, even I had about ten bags, but still didn't compare to Alice's twenty-three. That girl could be paid to be a marathon shopper, except she'd even do it for free.

We managed to stuff all but two bags into her trunk, leaving the last two in my lap for the car ride back to Alice's house. She blared Chris Brown the whole ride home as we sang along at the top of our lungs. Tonight, would be another sleepover.

We made it to her house and made Emmett come out to help us carry in the many bags. He, of course, being the great bring brother he was, managed to carry almost all of them leaving the two of us only one bag for each hand.

We made it inside just in time for a late lunch. It was delicious grilled cheese and bugles. The combination made us feel like little kids again when our moms still packed our lunches. We quickly ate and ran upstairs to begin the sleepover early. We started by going through all our bags and doing a fashion show for each other. Of course, I finished much quicker than Alice, so she gave up and we decided to watch t.v. instead.

We felt the need to continue the childish feel of the day after our lunch by turning on nickelodeon and catching an old episode of All That.

A few minutes later, a commercial came on for eHarmony, some online dating service that supposedly tons of people had used and gotten great matches. Alice seemed to fall for it hook, line, and sinker as she watched wide-eyed.

"Omg! We should so sign up for it! We could meet the boys of our dreams without even having to look!" She squealed. I gave her an incredulous look. "Please tell me you're kidding." "No! I'm for cereal! Come on? Please Bella, for me?" Then she flashed those big, blue, puppy-dog eyes at me and I, of course, caved. "Fine, but remember we have to be careful. There are tons of creeps on these kinds of sites. We have to be very specific." And with that, she jumped off the bed and ran to get her laptop.

She laid it at the end of the bed and we both laid on our stomachs to see what was on the screen. Alice typed the URL on the screen and grew giddy at the site. She quickly registered filling out her name, e-mail, password, and location. She took the questionnaire and waited eagerly for matches while I filled out my profile in another browser so we could be logged in at the same time.

Ten minutes later we each had a list of matches on our home page. We decided that since we had just bought cute new outfits, we should take flirty pictures to post onto our accounts. Alice put on a form-fitting, black dress with crochet on the bottom that we picked from Victoria's Secret. **(link to dress in profile.)** She struck a pose trying to look as seductive as possible, pouting her lips, with a slight smile behind it, as she lounged on the window seat, and boy did she pull it off.

Next, I dressed up in my corset-style blue and white striped dress from Victoria's Secret and posed trying to look as innocent as I could, as I swirled my dress and let my hair cover half my face and throwing in a slight smile as I leaned away from the wall.** (link to dress with pose in profile.) **She quickly snapped the picture before I could fall, which I did, right after the flash.

We immediately uploaded the pictures to our profiles and began filling out all the information our future suitors would need.

Name: Alice Brandon

Nickname: Ali, Troublemaker ;)

Birthday: 3-29-1990

Favorites:

Food: Italian

Color: Pink

Book: How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire, it's a bit kinky ;p

Movie: The Notebook or Superman, can't choose between my chick flick and an amazingly hot superhero, who's sweet, too!

Song: Forever by Chris Brown, I love to dance and this song gets me pumping!

Interests: I enjoy doing ballet, dancing crazy, designing clothes and playing dress-up with my best friend, Bella Swan. I also LOVE shopping!! I'm going into a fashion design major at Cornish College of the Arts.

Questions for suitors:

1. What's your ideal first date?

2. What do you look for in a girl?

3. What's your major?

4. Would you let me call you a pet name?

5. Would you be willing to carry my bags if we were to go shopping together?

If that last question didn't scare away all possible suitors, then maybe they were worth giving a shot. Now it was my turn to fill out my information. But before I could start, Alice spoke up. She looked worried. "You know you don't actually have to do this, right? Or if you do, you don't have to pursue any of the guys that reply." I looked at her like she was crazy. "You actually think I'm even going to get any hits? And if I do I know I'm not required to even meet them. I'm doing this for you and to see what fun we can have. Who knows, maybe I'll meet prince charming!" I gave her a wink and turned back to the computer. I heard her give a sigh of relief behind me as I began filling in the blanks.

Name: Isabella Swan

Nickname: Bella, I prefer this name to my full name.

Birthday: 9-13-1989

Favorites:

Food: Italian, yum raviolis and garlic bread :)

Color: Red

Book: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Movie: Breakfast at Tiffany's. I absolutely love old actresses like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe :D

Song: Claire de Lune by Debussy. What can I say, I'm a classical kind of girl.

Interests: I enjoy reading the classics and listening to all types of music. I love to draw and I'm going into a graphic design major at Cornish College of the Arts, which I will be attending in September.

Questions for suitors:

1. Where would you take me on our first date?

2. What are your plans after college, if you are attending?

3. Tell me something that makes you different from other possible suitors.

4. Do you have a close relationship with your family?

Once I finished, I turned around to see Alice with a big, goofy grin slapped across her face. "Oh god, what now?" I said, scared of what the answer may be. "Eeeeee! I have a feeling I'm gonna meet someone really perfect on here!" She practically screamed in response.

Alice got these "feelings" about certain things. They were like psychic vibes. They had come in handy plenty of times when deciding whether to date certain boys, go to certain places, or do certain things. She also had visions, but they only came up in the form of dreams.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! And last night, I had a dream that you're gonna meet Mr. Dreamy at school, so even if you don't find someone awesome on here, you now have something to look forward to!" She started bouncing up and down on the bed in excitement. I just laughed and we laid back waiting for responses and deciding what to do with the rest of the sleepover.

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**Okay so this was my attempt at an all human story. Sorry if it started off slow. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. The fun will begin probably next chapter. Thanks to my friend .Thunder.Cloud.Izzy for the input for my story as well. The rating may be upped later. R&R is much appreciated!**

**-DL**


	2. Let's Make A Match

**A/N: I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 2: Let's Make A Match**

**BPOV**

As the sleepover progressed, and we waited patiently for our matches, we decided to talk about what college classes we had and which classes would have the cutest boys. "Honors composition, of course!" I said excitedly. Alice looked at me with an air of _explain, please._ "Well think about it. The only boys in honors composition will be smart boys, and it's an English class so we know they have to be sensitive, too. This makes them the perfect combination of smart, sensitive, and totally good looking, because there are rarely any bad looking English nerds." Of course, maybe I was relying a little too much on the movie stereotype, but who could blame me?

"Well I guess that makes sense, since we all know math nerds are never half as cute as English nerds." Alice giggled lightly. "Ooh! I wonder what guys we'll meet in our major-based classes!" She suddenly exclaimed. I just laughed, "Most likely gay ones for you! It's fashion design! I don't know many straight men who take that major." I said, trying to hold back my laughter. "Oh yeah. Well maybe I'll make a new best friend at least." She perked up at that idea and seemed satisfied.

She got up from the bed and turned up the music in the background. Of course, it was "Forever" by Chris Brown **(song in profile)** playing, which explained why she had bothered getting off the bed.

_Its you, and me  
Movin' at the speed of light into eternity (yeah)  
Tonight, is the night  
To join me in the middle of ecstasy  
Feel the melody and the rhythm of the music around you (around you)_

_Ima take you there, Ima take you there  
So don't be scared, I'm right here, ya ready?  
We can go anywhere  
Go anywhere  
But first, its your chance  
Take my hand  
Come with me_

_Its like I waited my whole life  
For this one night  
Its gon' be me you and the dance floor  
'Cause we only got one night  
Double your pleasure  
Double you fun  
And dance forever ever ever  
Forever ever ever  
Forever ever ever  
Forever (forever)  
Ever ever ever  
Forever ever ever  
Forever ever ever  
Forever on the dance floor_

We were dancing and jumping around the room, our hair flying everywhere, twirling in our dresses, when right as the first chorus ended, we heard a ding come from the computer. We froze and looked at each other, then lunged for the bed, clicking all over the computer trying to get to the website.

When she pulled up her eHarmony homepage, it said just under her picture, "3 New Matches!" in bright purple letters. She squealed with delight and let me check to see if I had any before she checked hers. I also had three so we went back to see her matches first.

The first match was a blond, short, but messy-haired guy, named Jasper Hale. **(picture in profile).** He looked promising. He was 19, six foot three and had shockingly blue eyes, though they were light unlike Alice's. We read over his profile some more. He was a Pisces based on his birthday of February 27, 1989. He was into chick flicks, which made him super sensitive and he was a twin. That made Alice's jaw drop. "Th-there could be t-two of him and all his g-gorgeousness??" I laughed, "Too bad he's not really my type, that could've been interesting." We also found that he was a sophomore at Cornish.

"Oh. My. Goodness. He goes to our school. How much more perfect can this be?" She squealed with delight as she scrolled down to see his answers for the questions she had made.

Questions for suitors:

1. What's your ideal first date?

_My ideal first date would be, to show up to your house, with a dozen red, white, and pink roses. Greet you, and tell you how much more amazing you look in person, and kiss your hand lightly. I would walk you to my car, and take you to this amazing Italian restaurant I know over in Seattle. We would have our nice dinner, learning more about each other. Then, I would pay the bill, and we would leave. Then before the sun sets, I would take you to the Alki beach. **(Picture in profile**). I would walk you down the beach and we would stand there as I hold your back against my chest and we watch the sunset. Then, of course I would take you home, walk you to the door, kiss your hand lightly, and make sure you got inside._

Alice almost started drooling as she imagined this first date with him. Then we continued looking through his sure-to-be-amazing answers.

2. What do you look for in a girl?

_I look for someone who is confident in herself and what she does. She must be beautiful, not on the outside, but on the inside. I also long for someone that I make a great connection to and that my family will approve of. I think you could be that girl._

Again, she seemed to become putty, as she blushed a light pink. I had to say, this guy really knew what to say to the ladies. It even had me blushing a little.

3. What's your major?

_I am an architecture major. One day I will build a house for my wife and it will be the house of her dreams._

4. Would you let me call you a pet name?

_Of course. You could call me anything to your heart's desire and it will instantly be my favorite new nickname._

5. Would you be willing to carry my bags if we were to go shopping together?

_Anything for a beautiful lady such as yourself. And judging by the look of your petite frame I'd say you shouldn't be carrying any bags anyway, so I'd be glad to be of service to you._

With that Alice was sold, but she decided to see what the other suitors looked like and what they had answered.

Her next match was Eric Yorkie. **(picture in profile). **"Oh gosh. He uses this site? Didn't he graduate with us? Oh well, let's see how he did. He was kinda shy." Alice said, as she shrugged her shoulders.

He had apparently grown since school ended, stopping at a five foot eleven. His birthday was January 5, 1990 making him a Capricorn. He was attending Peninsula Community College. His favorite movie was the Disney movie, Dumbo. His favorite song was actually an old rap song, called "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot. With that, Alice and I doubled over in laughter, till tears came from our eyes.

When we finally were done laughing we scrolled down to see his answers to the questions.

Questions for suitors:

1. What's your ideal first date?

_Well, I guess whatever you wanted to do, we could do, or of course, we could do a dinner and movies. Your pick, of course._

He was trying so hard to sound caring, but we could tell it was really his shy side that wouldn't let him really decide what to do.

2. What do you look for in a girl?

_Uhh, smart, pretty, caring, outgoing, which of course you are all of these and more._

That was kind of sweet, but still not quite the answer that was needed to trump the last suitor.

3. What's your major?

_I'm going into criminal justice. I think it would be cool to help out Chief Swan._

We started giggling. "Could you..imagine..him trying..to take down..a bad guy?" I got out between fits of giggles. "Oh...my gosh...I know...right?" Alice said trying to catch her breath.

4. Would you let me call you a pet name?

_I'd prefer not to, but I guess for you, sure. I've had plenty of names I'm not too proud of and try to forget them._

He was right. He had had plenty of nicknames before. But they were never friendly. They were mostly from Mike Newton. He could be so thoughtless sometimes, but he was still an alright guy.

5. Would you be willing to carry my bags if we were to go shopping together?

_I could try, but I don't know how many I could hold for you. I'm not that strong._

With that, it concluded Eric's answers so we moved onto the last suitor.

His name was James Whitlan. **(picture in profile).** He was cute. He had brown, messy hair, with very pale eyes. They were almost entrancing. He was six foot two, and his birthday was June 4, 1990, making him a Gemini. He was attending Seattle Pacific University, which put him still close to our school. His favorite movie was No Country for Old Men, which was quite an odd and confusing movie. His favorite book was The Stalker by Joan Lowery Nixon. I had read the book before, but all I could remember is that it was somewhat creepy.

We scrolled down some more to see what his interests were and they included photography, skiing, and writing. He also loved to go sight-seeing so he always brought his binoculars and camera with him wherever he went. That meant he was adventurous, which meant lack of boredom, always something good. Finally, we made it down to where his answers were.

Questions for suitors:

1. What's your ideal first date?

_Well, I'd pick you up from your house, take you to my studio, which is at my house, do a few shots of you with my camera, make you some homemade chicken fettuccine Alfredo and garlic bread, then for dessert I'd feed you some homemade chocolate gelato with homemade whip cream on top and a maraschino cherry. After dinner, we could look through all my picture albums, we could take a stroll around the woods by my house, that I've converted into a quiet retreat where I can gather my thoughts and take wonderful outdoor shots, and then I would take you home. And with your permission, I would kiss you goodnight._

That actually sounded quite interesting. He was a little more forward than that Jasper guy had been, but the evening seemed like a pleasant time nonetheless.

2. What do you look for in a girl?

_Someone who is a real challenge to capture their beauty in a picture. I always love a challenge. You seem like the perfect one._

It was actually quite sweet of him to say and it made Alice blush a little as she went on.

3. What's your major?

_Photography, of course. How else would I capture the beauty of everything around me, including you hopefully, to keep for myself?_

"Aww! He's so sweet! Maybe I need to go on two dates." She mused to herself.

4. Would you let me call you a pet name?

_You could call me whatever you like, as long as I could give you one, too. I'd love for you to be my pet._

5. Would you be willing to carry my bags if we were to go shopping together?

_With me, you should never be bored enough to resort to shopping, but if we did, or course I would be happy to help._

She swooned a little as a new song came onto the radio, "Creep" by Radiohead**. (song in profile). **The words floated of the stereo and around us as I checked my first match.

_When you were here before,  
Couldn't look you in the eye  
You're just like an angel,  
Your skin makes me cry_

_You float like a feather  
In a beautiful world  
I wish I was special  
You're so very special_

_But I'm a creep,  
I'm a weirdo  
What the hell am I doin' here?  
I don't belong here_

_I don't care if it hurts,  
I wanna have control  
I want a perfect body  
I want a perfect soul_

_I want you to notice  
when I'm not around  
You're so very special  
I wish I was special_

Oh boy, did this song seem to fit, who's profile now stared me in the face. Michael Newton. **(picture in profile).** He had been basically my stalker in high school. He asked me out probably every day of my four years at Forks High School and every day I turned him down. He was cute, but he was annoying, and he had definitely grown into that cuteness only these past six months or so. I scrolled down to see what he had to say anyways.

His birthday was October 25, 1989, making him a Scorpio. He was now at a nice six feet and he still had that messy looking blond hair. His favorite movie was Porky's. Figures he'd be such a pig. **(Porky's is a movie that came out in the 80s but was basically a porno, but I've never seen it, thank God). **His favorite song was "Lollipop" by Lil' Wayne.

"Yuck. Could he be more perverted?" I said, as I pretended to gag. Alice just laughed and said to see what he answered to my questions.

Questions for suitors:

1. Where would you take me on our first date?

_Well first, we could go to a drive-in movie and then we could go to dinner. After that, we could go have some fun up at Lover's Point (wink, wink)._

Yuck, what a pig.

2. What are your plans after college, if you are attending?

_Well since I have my major set as a medical major that will later lead to plastic surgery, I hope to become the best at breast implants. I'll give every girl the boobs of their dreams!_

"Of course, any way he can get a hold of the female body." Alice snickered from next to me. I just rolled my eyes and continued reading.

3. Tell me something that makes you different from other possible suitors.

_I've known you since you were ten so I know everything that is needed to be the best boyfriend you could possibly have._

_Somehow I doubt that,_ I thought to myself.

4. Do you have a close relationship with your family?

_Oh yeah, I have to since I work with them in their sporting goods store. Yeah, my folks are all right. We get along just fine._

"Thank God, that's over." I sighed. "Who's next?" Alice said excitedly.

The next match, was another recognizable face. One who had repeatedly asked me to prom. Tyler Crowley. **(picture on profile).** I had to say, he _was _ kinda cute now, so I decided it was fair to give him a shot.

His birthday was September 26, 1989, making him a Libra. He had brown hair and he was six foot one. His favorite movie was Casablanca. Interesting pick for a guy. His favorite food was Mexican, and apparently he made some mean tamales, or so he said. He was attending Seattle Pacific with Mike and he enjoyed snowboarding. Next was his answers to the questions.

Questions for suitors:

1. Where would you take me on our first date?

_I think it would be nice to just have a date of walking around the town, taking in the sites, maybe go to a movie if we feel like it. Seattle is a pretty city, so I think we could have fun just talking and walking around the city._

That actually sounded really nice and sweet of him. Maybe he deserved a second chance from me.

2. What are your plans after college, if you are attending?

_Well I am going into a psychology major so I plan to become a successful psychologist for family issues. Maybe I could help them in a way that I never got help._

Uh oh. That usually meant they were screwed up as a kid, which meant problems galore. Not something I'd want to deal with in a first boyfriend.

3. Tell me something that makes you different from other possible suitors.

_I don't really know what to say except that I think I have more of an insight into the female mind having grown up with 3 sisters, one older, two younger._

4. Do you have a close relationship with your family?

_At times, I can, but most of the time my parents are pretty distant. I'm sorta close to my sisters, but mostly they just tortured me through my childhood with beauty products._

"Boy, do I know how he feels!" I said. Alice looked confused, but as comprehension dawned, "Hey! You know you like it! Besides, you wouldn't want to hurt my feelings would you?" She exclaimed, and then threw in her puppy-dog eyes that I could never deny. "Of course, Alice. But you do realize that I'm probably gonna end up going to Tyler for therapy because of it, right?" I replied, trying not to laugh, but she couldn't hold it in and I soon followed suit.

"Okay...Okay...We've only got..one more." I said trying to catch my breath. The radio began spewing a sweet song. "Oh my gosh turn it up Alice!" I squealed. She jumped off the bed and turned up the radio as "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz **(song in profile)** flowed out of the speakers.

"Well you done done me and you bet I felt it, I tried to be cool, but you're so hot that I melted, I fell right through the crack, and now I'm trying to get backkkkk," I sang along as I clicked the next suitor.

The song continued on as I scrolled through his information.

_Before the cool done run out  
I'll be giving it my bestest  
Nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention  
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some_

_I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait, I'm yours_

_Well open up your mind and see like me  
Open up your plans and damn you're free  
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love  
Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing  
We're just one big family  
And It's our God-forsaken right to be loved love loved love loved_

_So I won't hesitate no more, no more  
It cannot wait I'm sure  
There's no need to complicate  
Our time is short  
This is our fate, I'm yours_

_Scoot on closer dear  
and I will nibble your ear_

Boy, at first sight of this match, I'd be glad to sing I was his. He was gorgeous. His name was Edward Cullen. **(pictures in profile). **His birthday was May 17, 1990, making him a Taurus. He was six foot two, with messy bronze-brown hair. He had gorgeous emerald eyes that literally seemed to shine back through the screen at me. He had a gorgeously white smile, too. I about lost my mind when I saw that his favorite song was Clair de Lune. His favorite food was Italian and he cooked all the food in his house. "Oh God, he's so dreamy!" I sighed out, as a goofy grin spread across my face. His interests included playing piano since he was five, listening to all kinds of music, and writing his own musical compositions. He, too, was attending Cornish. "Alice! He's perfect! He's gorgeous, smart, loves the same music and is going to our school!!" I almost shrieked at Alice. "Okay, Okay, keep your hormones in check, you haven't even checked his answers!" She replied, as she laughed at me practically drooling.

Now it was the moment of truth, the answer to his questions.

Questions for suitors:

1. Where would you take me on our first date?

_Well I think that it would be nice if I first greeted you with a beautiful bouquet of various red flowers, including freesias, sunflowers, roses, and pom-pom dahlias, since your favorite color is red and every girl deserves beautiful flowers to balance out their own beauty. Then I would take you to Aqua Verde Paddle Club to rent a kayak and paddle out into Portage Bay, where we can talk about each other and get to know one another. Then for dinner, I know of this great Italian restaurant called Osteria La Spiga, with the finest raviolis and garlic bread. Then we would have a lovely __tiramisu__ for dessert. Then I would take you home, kiss your hand, and hope to see you again._

My jaw dropped. Could he be more amazing? I wanted to pee my pants, but decided to keep reading instead.

2. What are your plans after college, if you are attending?

_Right now I'm going into a Music Composition Major so I plan to write my own pieces and be a famous pianist. I'd love to play a song for you._

"Oh how dreamy.."I trailed off, thinking I had only thought the words, until I heard Alice laughing at me once again.

3. Tell me something that makes you different from other possible suitors.

_I, for one, believe that chivalry is not dead. It is still right to hold the door for beautiful, young ladies, such as, yourself, as well as believing that we should only go so far, as is comfortable to you, therefore you will not expect pressure from me._

Even Alice had to sigh from delight at that answer. All we'd ever dealt with in high school were pushy guys always trying to get in every girl's pants.

4. Do you have a close relationship with your family?

_Yes, in fact I am quite close to them. We have dinner together every weekend now, since I've already moved up to Seattle. It is most important that they approve of anyone I should choose to date. Sadly, or you could say luckily, they haven't had to approve of anyone, yet, but that doesn't mean you couldn't change that. I am also sure that they would easily and quickly approve of you, a beautiful and intelligent young one, who has her head on her shoulders._

I swear I almost passed out, as soon as I read that. "Pinch me Alice. Tell me I'm not dreaming!" I said in an airy voice. Alice just laughed at me. She laughed so much, she fell right off the bed, which dragged me out of my stupor. We quickly sent replies to our picks saying we would love to meet them.

I, of course, picked Edward, and Alice picked Jasper and James. She figured she might as well give them both a shot. We decided it would be best to go on our dates once we had gotten to Seattle, that way we could be closer, and we'd get to see if Emmett approved of the hunks, who had us drooling all over Alice's bed and laptop. Before we knew it, it was dinner time.

Alice skipped down the stairs gracefully, as I tried to make it down the stairs without tripping. Then I heard Emmett lumbering down the hallway towards the stairs. He was going so fast, he crashed right into me at the bottom of the stairs, knocking me flat on my face, with Emmett pinning me down. Now, let me tell you, it is not fun to have a two hundred pound, six foot three, man squishing your face into a hardwood floor.

We got up and Alice and I took our plates to the living room. We turned on the television and what could possibly be playing other than an eHarmony commercial. We both tried to contain our giggles, so Emmett wouldn't get suspicious. Once it was over, we all just sat quietly watching America's Got Talent with her family. Tomorrow we had to pack, for our move to Seattle on Friday.

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**Well guys, there's the matches. Oh yeah and if James sounds creepy, there's a reason for it lol. Next chapter should be about Seattle and their move up there. If it sucks, tell me, if you have any ideas, tell me. Don't be afraid to review. Please do. I'd love to hear if it's good or if it's awful so I know to change it. And btw, it's 9 whole pages! I'm so proud of myself, even if like 2 and a half pages are just lyrics lol. Anyways, hope you like it and hope to hear from you guys :D**

**-DL**


	3. Not So Picture Perfect

**A/N: I'm so happy to see so many readers and reviewers! It motivates me to keep updating as quickly as I can, as long as I don't run into writer's block lol. I'm gonna try to keep this updated weekly, sooner when possible. Enjoy :) **

**I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs, cars, or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 3: Not So Picture Perfect  
**

**BPOV**

Today, Alice and I were moving into Emmett's four bedroom home. His and Alice's parents had never had money problems, so the house had never kept, or needed, a lasting roommate. There was a master bedroom and three fairly large bedrooms. The master, so as to avoid any arguing over who got it, had become the study/office for all three of us to use.

It had three spacious and large desks along the walls, with spots for all of our laptops and any other desk necessities and our mini-fridge, so we wouldn't have to go downstairs to the kitchen during intense cram sessions. There was also a large table in the middle of the room with several comfortable looking chairs surrounding it for said cram sessions.

My room had been recently painted, a beautiful, glossy, crimson red, that seemed to sparkle wherever the sunlight touched it.

My bed was already in the room, waiting for the comforter I had bought, and was already draped in hot pink sheets as an offset to the red. There was also the simple desk I had found at Office Depot, in the corner of the room, opposite to the door, for times I didn't want to be upstairs in the big office or just wanted the privacy of my own room. Next to my desk was a large bookcase to fill with my huge collection of classic books and CDs.

The room also had some nice red lamps that, no doubt, Alice had picked out when I hadn't been looking, sitting on top of two black nightstands, with spacious drawers, on either side of the bed. There was a walk-in closet along the same wall connecting to the bedroom door, that I was sure would still look fairly empty even when I had finished unpacking, but was sure that Alice would have no problem filling in any gaps whatsoever. In between the closet and my desk, was a big window. It looked like fun for possible sneak-outs. I giggled to myself at the thought, as I continued surveying the room.

The connected bathroom was painted a nice champagne color and had all red accessories: towels, bath mats, toothbrush holder, etc. Once I was done surveying my new surroundings, I decided it was time to get to work. The faster I finished, the faster I could talk to Edward about setting up a date.

It was amazing how much motivation that gave me.

**APOV**

I strolled into the old, but new again house. I had been here before, when Emmett had first moved in. I glided wistfully to my room. I realized how much of a ballerina I really was. I had been one since I was 4, but had stopped when I turned 18, so I could focus on my passion for fashion for college. Maybe, one day, I would design ballerina costumes for famous ballets. I smiled at that thought and focused on the task at hand.

I looked around my new room. It was painted a chocolate brown, which I had picked to offset the gold and silver that would be in here. My bed already had brown, satin sheets over it, waiting for my beautiful bedspread to adorn it. I loved the way satin sheets felt, they were so slippery and always seemed cool to the touch, but they also managed to keep you warm. I found the plain desk I had picked for my room against the wall, next to the giant window.

I saw the brown nightstands I had picked out on either side of my bed with gold covered lamps sitting on top of them.

I already knew what my closet looked like, and it wasn't the state I wanted to see it in, empty. I decided to see what had been done to my bathroom. It was painted a light beige color and all the accessories were sterling silver or silver colored. Now, that I had taken the grand tour, it was time to get to work. I could easily be done within an hour or so and then I could do eeny meeny miney mo on which boy I wanted to set up a date with first.

I set out my comforter on my queen size bed first. It glittered where the sun hit it, leaving little prisms of light dancing on the ceiling as it fluttered down into place. I quickly arranged the pillows nicely and began to unpack my clothes. Most of my clothes went into my closet, while the rest, such as lingerie, exercise outfits, shorts, and pajamas, went into my dresser. I felt in a hurry to make sure things that were meant to be in the closet didn't wrinkle, so I was done in no time as I had planned.

As I compressed the last box, I skipped over merrily to my laptop. I immediately logged into my eHarmony and pulled both my possible suitors into windows next to each other. I sighed a little as I remembered their responses as well as at how amazing their pictures looked. I sat back and commenced the childish game of eeny meeny miney mo between the two pictures. _Eeny meeny miney mo, catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go, eeny meeny miney mo._ I opened my eyes and saw that my finger was pointing at James' pictures. I smiled wide as I opened up a blank e-mail to reply. Now it was time to set up a date.

_From:_

_To:_

_Subject: Date?_

_Body: Hey James, well I really liked the responses you gave to my questions and now that I'm in Seattle, I'd love to set up a date with you some time soon. Maybe you could make me some of that famous chicken Fettuccine Alfredo that you sound famous for. Go ahead and tell me a date you're free so we can get together. ;)_

_Alice_

A few minutes later, while I was browsing music on **(I love that site. I find so much music on there and it lets you make little playlists to save for later!),** I saw that I had 1 new message. It was a reply from James. I smiled as I clicked it open.

_From: _

_To:_

_Subject: Re: Date?_

_Body: Alice, Well since you're in town, I'm actually free tonight. If you'd like, you could give me your address and I could pick you up tonight. Is that alright? Around 6:30? Can't wait to hear from you. I'd love to see how much more beautiful you are in person._

_Ciao, James_

My heart fluttered as I hurried to type out my acceptance. It was only two in the afternoon, which gave me four and half hours to get ready. I wasn't sure if that would be enough time, but I would have to make due.

_From:_

_To: _

_Subject: Re: Re: Date?_

_Body: James, Yes that would be amazing. I live at 1918 Chicago Ave. I'll be ready when you show up. Can't wait to meet you. :)_

_Waiting, Alice_

I scrambled from my desk to my newly filled closet, trying desperately to find the perfect outfit. I settled on a fun and flirty new dress I had just picked out online. It was a black halter busted dress with cottony Zebra print flowing down to my knees. It was cute and fun for a first date.**(picture in profile).** I spiked out my hair and to add some color, I tied a pink cheetah scarf around my head, letting the tied end flow over my left shoulder. I did my makeup to match. I put white on the lid and black framing it around the corner in a sharp, sideways 'V'. I added black eyeliner along the top lid and placed hot pink eyeliner along the lower lid and finished it all off with a thick layer of charcoal mascara.

I walked out to tell Bella and Emmett where I would be for the night, but I realized I didn't know where he lived. I'd just ask him when he got here, so they knew where I'd be in case something happened and I needed to get picked up. Of course, I doubted anything would happen. I hadn't had any bad 'feelings' about tonight.

I walked out to the front room. The six o'clock news was blaring to an end on the television in the front room, where Emmett lounged on our new couch. Bella must've been in her room, most likely still working on cleaning it up. I walked over to Emmett and stood directly in front of the television. "Hey! I was watc--" He stopped when he realized how I was dressed. His glare deepened. "No little sister of mine is going out dressed like that." He growled at me. "Oh yes I am, and that's exactly what I came over here to tell you. I'll be going out with a nice, young man named James Whitlan tonight and he will be here in approximately one minute, so I suggest you play nice or there will be hell to pay by me later."

Emmett's glare relaxed into a frown as he gave in. Only a minute later the doorbell rang and I skipped gracefully over to the door. There he stood in a black and white, vertical-striped, button-down shirt and nice, black slacks. **(picture of shirt in profile).** Coincidentally, we matched. I giggled a little to myself and then realized I needed to get his address for Emmett and Bella. "Oh James, before we go, I need to get your address for my dear, big brother in case a family emergency occurs and I need him to quickly pick me up." I said as I batted my eyes playfully at him. He grinned and replied eagerly, "No problem. It's 1666 Tracker Ln. It's here in Seattle. Not 15 minutes from here actually." I quickly scribbled down the address on a pad of paper, kissed Emmett's cheek and was back by the door ready to leave.

"Well shall we be going then? I still need to make dinner for you and I have tons planned for this evening." He said with a large grin on his face. "Yes, let's go. I can't wait to find out what's on tonight's agenda." I said as I took the arm he held out for me and we walked out to his car. His car was amazing. A sleek, black, Audi TT.** (picture in profile).** I got in and we were on our way. He had Nine Inch Nails playing, which I didn't mind. It had a great beat. "Only" **(song in profile) **pumped through the car stereo, as James sped to his house.

_  
I'm becoming less defined as days go by  
Fading away  
And well you might say  
I'm losing focus  
Kinda drifting into the abstract in terms of how I see myself_

_Sometimes I think I can see right through myself_

_Sometimes I think I can see right through myself  
Sometimes I can see right through myself_

_Less concerned about fitting into the world  
Your world that is  
Cause it doesn't really matter anymore  
(no it doesn't really matter anymore)  
No it doesn't really matter anymore  
None of this really matters anymore_

_Yes I am alone but then again I always was  
As far back as I can tell  
I think maybe it's because  
Because you were never really real to begin with  
I just made you up to hurt myself _

Just then the music turned down and James turned to me. "So, tell me more about yourself. Tell me about your family. I see you have an older brother." I smiled at him and started telling him about my parents and Emmett. Then I told him about how Bella was living with us in our new house. I told him about my school and how I wanted to go into fashion design. "Well, what about you? What interested you in photography?" I asked, once I had finished my stories.

"Hmm, I started with photography back in junior high. I just always wanted to capture the beauty of my surroundings. My junior high had a beautiful campus so I took a lot of pictures there and I used to love to take pictures of my junior high sweetheart. She, uh, moved away after we graduated. Ever since then, I always bring my camera everywhere looking for the beauty around me and capturing it to film. I only recently got the camera I'm going to be using tonight, to capture your beauty. I decided to try a digital type version of my old camera to see if the pictures turned out nicer." He smiled, at me as we pulled up to a quaint looking, two-story home.

The house was a cornflower blue with white trim and dark blue, shuttered windows. It also had a dark blue, front door. He pulled into the driveway and we got out of the car. He offered me his arm, as we walked inside. Inside, the house was open and huge. To the left of the entryway, was the eloquently set, dining room and front room, and a door, most likely, leading to the kitchen. To the right was a hallway, which led to the stairs and another door.

He walked me down the hall to the mystery door. "Behind this door, is my studio." He said as a grin spread across his face, and he carefully opened the door. Inside, it looked just like a photography studio. It had a huge metal frame against one wall with tons of fabric rolled on the top with pull tabs, so that he could change the background behind the subject of his shots. There were also many props, such as, chairs, benches, pillows, and other assorted clothes. There was a tripod to hold whatever camera he used, which had many cables lying beside it that ran along the floor to a giant desktop Mac. I stood in awe and all I could manage to say was, "Wow. This is amazing." "Thanks, I've been working on it since my Freshman year of high school. Just glad it was ready in time for our date. Care to pose for a few shots for me? I'd love to keep this date in my memory and how can I resist capturing such a beautiful young lady on film?" He said, flashing a wide, bright smile. I saw a strange sparkle in his eye as I agreed, but none of my 'feelings' were bad, yet, so I just figured it was the idea of a "challenge," as he had called it, that lit his eyes.

"How would you like to have the shot set up?" I asked him, curiously. "Well since you're in the lovely dress I think we should have you on a white bench with a black background. I'll have you sitting across it with one leg up and the other draped underneath. One arm on the armrest, the other draped across your stomach." He said as he brought over the bench and directed me with what he wanted. "Perfect!" He finally exclaimed as he got behind his camera. "Now smile seductively." I smiled, as seductively as possible and saw the camera flash a few times. "Okay, all done." He said as he took my hand and started to lead me to the other side of the room. He had the camera around his neck now. **(picture of camera and attached lens in profile).**

"This is my dark room," he announced, as he led me through a door. He flipped on the light and there were pictures hanging everywhere. They were mostly very attractive girls. "Who are all these girls?" I asked, in almost a whisper, as I stared around in awe of how many pictures he had. "These are some of my old junior high friends, some, uh, clients, and some of the other girls I once dated." He said, pausing a little as he said clients.

I looked around the room, examining the pictures. Some were strange, many of the girls looked as if they didn't even know the picture was being taken. Some looked as if they were taken outside of a window. I was confused, but figured that they were just how the shots had been set up, like true model shoots.

I could feel James' eyes on my back so I turned to him and said, "Well, this is lovely. What else do you have planned for this evening?" A smirk played across his face before he answered. "Well, I think it is time you got to have a bit of my famous fettuccine, don't you think?" "Oh, of course!" I exclaimed, excitedly. I was actually quite hungry having not eaten more than a Luna bar, since I was so busy unpacking and getting ready.

He walked me over to the kitchen and had me sit on a stool next to the counter, while he cooked. He boiled the water and the chicken in separate pots, and started making sauce in a third pan. I was astonished by his cooking skills and his ability to multi-task.

He finished dinner in no time and had garlic bread cooking. He walked me over to the dining table and lit the candles after he placed my food at the head of the table. He dimmed the overhead light and sat in the chair next to me. We ate silently, but he would randomly take pictures of me eating, or in between bites. It was slightly unnerving, but I let his 'creative juices' flow.

Once finished with dinner, he cleared the table and then took my hand, as he walked me out the back door. Outside, the walk to the forest was lined with little twinkling lights. "Oh my, It's beautiful, James!" I whispered, as I looked around in awe. It must've taken him hours to set up. We walked a little further down, into a small clearing in the trees. There was another bench, like the one in the studio and more twinkling lights. I saw him click a little remote and soon I could hear music in the background. It was a light classical melody.

I looked around in wonder, trying to decide whether or not it was a dream. I got a strange feeling, but pushed it away, not wanting to ruin the moment. He took my hand in his and we started to twirl around the open space, smoothly and slowly. There was a full moon and the light leaked through the carefully formed branches of his hideaway, making my skin glow whenever we twirled through the light. I had my left hand on his shoulder and my right in his left hand. His right hand was gripping my waist light, but firm at the same time.

We kept swaying like this for a few more minutes, the strange 'feeling' seeming to grow with every passing second. I feigned needing to check my phone to make sure no one had called with an emergency to get a hold of myself and see if the feeling stayed when I left his side. I fumbled through the tree roots trying to hide the fact I was a little thrown off by the 'feelings' I was getting from this seemingly wonderful night.

I finally made it to where I had left my purse on the dining room table. I scrambled through it looking for my phone, as I went to the entryway, out of hearing range and out of view of prying eyes.

_Getting a not so good 'feeling' right now. I'll tell you if it stays that way. Be prepared to come get me just in case. Don't worry too much unless I tell you to. I am a big girl. Love ya Bells._

I quickly texted the message to Bella so that she could be ready in case I shot the invisible flares. The feeling seemed to be slowly dissipating as long as I was in the house. I didn't know if it was the area, or James himself, but I decided it would be best to try to get rid of the first of the two possibilities, so I called James inside.

"What is it? Is something wrong? Do you need to go home?" He asked, seeming genuinely worried and confused. "No, I was just kinda cold outside and wondered if we could watch a movie in here or something." I replied, trying to bring back the calm feeling. He walked me upstairs to a large living room, which held a huge flat screen and a large selection of movies.

I sat quietly on the huge suede couch. It seemed to suck me into it, holding me there. I righted myself, as James put in Serendipity and walked over to the couch to sit by me. He scooted close and casually put his arm around me.

About half an hour into the film, the feeling came back strong, and not two seconds later, I felt his hand tighten on my shoulder, and felt his body leaning towards me. I turned to push him off of me, but my arms weren't strong enough and his lips and body crashed onto me. I struggled under his weight and the forcefulness of the kiss, finally being able to jerk my knee up, straight between his legs. It caught him off guard and took his breath away. I used the distraction to my advantage, grabbed my purse and ran down the stairs and locked myself in the bathroom.

I frantically dialed Bella's number. It rang only twice before she picked up. _"What is it? What happened? Are you okay?" _She called out desperately. Between sobs, I managed to speak. "No...He came..onto me...I almost...couldn't get away. P-please come g-get me. He'll come after me soon. B-bring E-Emmett." I heard a sharp intake of breath. _"I'm on my way."_ I heard her yell for Emmett to get in the car and then the phone went dead.

I couldn't hear any movement from upstairs, so I hoped that he hadn't been able to readjust just yet. A few minutes later, I heard him stumbling down the stairs. He started to bang on the door, threatening to break it down and kill me if I had called the cops. I just sat there, by the tub, crying, praying for Bella and Emmett to hurry up. It felt like hours, even though it had only been a few minutes by the time I heard Emmett banging on the front door. He told James he had the police waiting on cue if he didn't let me leave within the next two minutes. I heard the back door slam as James apparently made a run for it.

I forced the bathroom door open and it slammed against the wall, as I ran for the front door. I wrenched it open and jumped into Emmett's arms. "I'm so glad you're here! I can't believe I was so stupid. I had a bad feeling about him and just ignored it. It's all my fault." I sobbed into his chest. "Shh, shh, no, Ali. It's not your fault. It's that scumbag's fault for being such a jerk and trying to take advantage of you. He's lucky I didn't really call the police and that I didn't get inside to him before you came out." He said trying to put a smile on his worry-filled face. Bella stood slightly behind Emmett, so I asked him to put me down and I ran over to her.

"Thank you so much for coming to get me. I don't know what I would've done if things had gotten worse." I cried out as I hugged her as tight as possible. "It's okay. I am always here for you. What are sitters-slash-best friends for life for, if they don't save your life?" She said half jokingly. We all walked quietly back to Emmett's charger, which luckily they had thought to bring, since my car could only fit two. I slid into the back with Bella, while Emmett took the driver's seat. She held me close, trying to comfort me, and before we even made it around the block, I was out.

The next thing I remembered, was Emmett carrying me to my bed. He laid out some Victoria's Secret pajama pants and a tank top, and left me in the room. I changed and quickly fell asleep, hoping it would be the last I saw of James and that my next date would be a lot better. I'd make sure it was in a public place next time.

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**Hey guys. Told you James was creepy. But is that the last of him? Who knows? Muhahaha lol. Anyways. Sorry about the slow update. I was trying to update both my stories at the same time and faced some major writer's block, then, of course, I had to spare some hours to read Breaking Dawn, which was absolutely amazing, so no bashing, please. Hope you guys forgive me and hope you liked the chapter. 7 whole pages :D Reviews are much appreciated and questions or ideas are welcome. I will reply. Thanks for your patience! Don't forget to check out the stories of Halojones and Maree'malicious. Both are amazing writers.**

**-DL**


	4. Electricity Coursing Through My Veins

**A/N: Thanks for the wonderful feedback from all my wonderful readers. I have decided to go with Bella this time to let Alice cope with what happened. Let's see how this one goes :) Also you can find this story on and if you enter your own Twilight stories you can be in a drawing to win an autographed version of Twilight. :D Oh and for those of you who don't know what AIM is, it's AOL Instant Messenger. It's a chat thing. Two more things. 1st: Alice has changed. I didn't like who I picked for her. 2nd: Jasper has changed. I accidentally picked the same guy as I picked for Emmett, so there's a new Jasper.  
**

**I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 4: Electricity Coursing Through My Veins**

**BPOV**

I was sitting in the living room, thinking about what had just gone on. It was only about 10:30 at night, but Alice must've been worn out by the night's horrific antics with the failed date. I was too scared about what could happen on the date that I had set up earlier with this Edward guy, to go to sleep right now. I thought back to the AIM conversation I had had with him while Alice had been off on her date.

_-(flashback)-_

**TrippingOnAir13:** Hey. Edward?

**MusicMaster17: **Yeah, that's me. Who's this?

**TrippingOnAir13:** Bella, from eHarmony. I found your screen name on your site.

**MusicMaster17:** Ahh, yes. You are quite beautiful in your picture.

I blushed a light pink. Guys, besides Mike, had never given me the time of day, much less an actual compliment.

**TrippingOnAir13: **Well, you don't look too bad yourself, handsome. ;)

I slapped myself for such a bold comment, especially to a guy I didn't even know!

**MusicMaster17:** Why, thank you. So what is it you'll be needing? I assume you IM'd for a reason?

**TrippingOnAir13:** Well, uh, yeah. It sounded like you were a really nice guy and I was wondering if you'd like to set up a date?

I waited, scared of his answer. _What if he thought I was some creepy thirty year old woman trying to hit on him? Why did I think he would agree to meet me? He probably has tons of better matches lined up._

The sound of his reply, brought me out of my train of thought.

**MusicMaster17:** That sounds fantastic. What day works for you? I'm free any day until the 4th of September, since that's when school starts, as you should know. So I'm free to work around whatever schedule you want or need. So give me a time, I'll give you the place.

I released the air I didn't realize I'd been holding.

**TrippingOnAir13:** That's great! I'm free till school starts, too. How's tomorrow? Give me the time and place since you seem so much better at planning dates :)

**MusicMaster17:** Perfect. How's 5 o'clock and let's let the destination be a surprise, shall we?

**TrippingOnAir13:** Sounds great. Well, I've got to go make dinner now. I'll see you tomorrow! :)

_-(end flashback)-_

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't even notice Emmett plop onto the couch next to me and turn on the television.

"How did this happen? How could I have been such a horrible brother to not even find out anything about that jerk?" He asked suddenly. I was caught off guard by the sound of his voice and it took me a minute to register what he had said, let alone respond. "It's not your fault. We had been keeping everything a secret from you, so you wouldn't ruin our fun in the dating world. The problem is we found out the hard way that we should make sure you're at least somewhat clued in on what's going on." I replied, after a long pause. I thought a bit more about how I should break it to him that I had a date the next day, with a guy I had never met. While I thought about it, we sat in silence, watching an old George Lopez rerun.

After about ten minutes of blankly watching, I started coming up with a plan that could possibly set me on a safer date, yet let me still be able to meet him. I mean, if he goes to my school, I'm bound to meet him anyways. _That's it! I've got it! All I have to do is meet him in a public place!_ I thought to myself. It was perfect. I would have witnesses if anything happened and would be able to have a car ready to go home in, if necessary. I turned to Emmett, hoping this would go well. I couldn't see how he could be too against it, since I'd make sure I was surrounded by witnesses wherever he took me.

"Emmett, I have a confession to make. But before you blow up, hear me out. I do have a plan." I said, trying to keep my voice calm. He looked confused, which slowly turned to suspicion. "I set up a date with this guy. We've, uh, never met, but I plan on meeting him tomorrow. But don't worry. I plan on keeping the date totally public, so if he even tries to pull something on me, there will be plenty of witnesses. Plus, I'll have a car for easy escape, if needed as a backup plan." I blurted out quickly. He paused for a moment, taking everything in.

"Well, I don't know if I'm completely comfortable with this after what happened with Alice. I mean, you're like my other baby sister. I have to take care of you, too. But if you think you can take care of yourself and know that if anything bad happens, you'll immediately call me and come home, then I guess I trust you." He finished with a sigh. "Oh, thank you so much Em! I love you, pretend big brother!" I exclaimed, as I wrapped my arms around him in as big a hug as I could muster up.

I quickly made my way to the computer to change the previously made arrangements with Edward. I signed onto AIM, and sure enough, he was still on from earlier this evening.

**TrippingOnAir13:** Hey.

**MusicMaster17: **Hey. Need something else?

**TrippingOnAir13:** Actually, yes. See, my friend just went on an Internet date that went horribly wrong, so you'll understand that I want to take some precautions? I mean we both have never met, so you'd probably want to be careful around some random girl you met online, right? Sorry, I'm kinda rambling.

**MusicMaster17:** I completely understand. I mean, I trust that you aren't crazy and I can understand why you may feel scared to meet me if your friend had such a horrible experience and I respect that you are thinking ahead. It shows that you are a strong, intelligent, and independent, young woman, which to be honest, makes me all the more excited for this date of ours. So what precautions would you like to enforce?

**TrippingOnAir13: **Well, the only thing I'd like to make sure of, is that we meet in a public place, so instead of picking me up from my home, we can meet somewhere downtown. How about meeting by the family owned bookstore downtown? I plan on working there part time during school anyways and need to pick up an application. It's on Bronte Drive.

**MusicMaster17:** Sounds great. Same time then? 5 o'clock?

**TrippingOnAir13:** Awesome. I'll see you there. ;) Goodnight.

**MusicMaster17:** Goodnight. :)

I signed off and then went to get ready for bed. It was approaching midnight and I had to make breakfast in the morning for everyone. _As well as plan for a possibly life-changing date!_ I thought to myself and then mentally scolded myself for thinking I could even get a second date with a guy so seemingly sensitive and amazingly hot as Edward, but I guess a girl can dream.

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That night I did dream. I dreamt about the beautiful, bronze-haired, green eyed man, I was supposed to meet the next day. Sadly, it was only of his pictures, since that's all I've ever seen. But today, I was going to meet him in person.

I had a huge smile on my face as I fried up some eggs and made some chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. I put them all onto three plates and poured three glasses of milk. I gave Emmett plain milk, Alice, Strawberry milk, and Chocolate milk for myself. I had been telling Alice about my date plans for tonight, while I was cooking, so now we were busy discussing outfit plans. I was surprised at how eager Alice was to send me out on this date, especially after how horribly wrong hers had gone.

"Well, we all know that you look fantastic in blue. Plus you are old fashioned. So that blue turtleneck, argyle dress will be perfect for tonight. It goes great with your skin tone and gives off a retro feel to you, which is basically you. Plus it's a great outfit for work, so it'll be great for when you pick up your application!" She babbled on, excitedly. The dress was perfect. Plus, it hugged my curves nicely. **(picture of dress in profile).** I ate quickly and then washed off my plate. I practically ran to my room, almost falling a couple of times after tripping on my own two feet.

I skimmed through my closet looking for the dress Alice had been talking about. I looked through three times and was about to go ask Alice if she had seen it when I found Alice sitting on my bed, with puppy dog eyes, holding my dress in her hands. "How'd you do that?" I asked, trying to get the dress from her hands. She didn't answer. "Fine. You can do my makeup and hair." I said, in monotone. "Yay!" She exclaimed, excitedly, while clapping her hands and jumping off the bed.

I hopped in the shower and washed up quickly. As soon as I had gotten out and had wrapped myself in a towel, Alice pushed a chair into my bathroom and forced me to sit down. She immediately started blow-drying my hair. "Okay, since we're going old fashioned, I think we should do a special French twist up-do. I even have little sparkle clips to go in!" She said as she pulled the brush through my thick, wet hair. **(picture of hairstyle in profile).**

It took her almost an hour and a half to get my hair just right. Then it was time for makeup. Luckily for me, Alice knew I wasn't too much a fan of the stuff. She put only eyeliner, mascara, and a light plink lip gloss on me. She knew better than to put blush on me, knowing somehow I would provide enough of my own tonight. It was finally time to put on the dress. It fit even better than I remembered. It hugged all my curves just right, while still being subtle and classy. I paired it with some cute flats, the same color blue as the dress.

I was finally ready. "Wait! I have to get a picture of you! This is your first date, Miss Swan." Alice called from down the hall. She ran back into my room with her Polaroid camera. "Okay. Now pose!" She said and snapped the picture. I posed by putting my hands behind my back like a little girl and turning my feet to point towards each other with a small smile.

She held the picture up to the light to make it develop faster, while I grabbed a small blue purse and my new black wallet. Alice figured I would most likely offer to pay half, so she decided to make sure I didn't pull out my old ratty wallet and look totally weird, in front of this amazingly hot first date.

She put the picture onto my little bulletin board with a pink thumb tack. With that, I gave her a hug and grabbed the keys to her car. She was letting me borrow it, since "Emmett's Charger makes you look too manly and intimidating for a first date."

I hopped into the car and made my way to the little bookstore. It only took me about 10 minutes to get there. I pulled into the familiar parking lot and made my way inside. I greeted the owners, Martha and Jim Garrison. I asked Martha for an application, which she gladly handed over, then I asked about their kids, Sarah, who was 3, and Amanda, who was 5. Amanda was starting Kindergarten in September. Just as I was about to inquire more about their lovely family, I heard the tinkling of the bells over the front door. I looked over, out of habit, and there he stood. A bronze-haired, green-eyed, Greek god, in the flesh. This was Edward.

He looked around the store, while I gawked at him. He was holding the exact bouquet he had described in his answer to my question on eHarmony. I pulled my jaw up off the ground, right as his eyes rested on me and a crooked grin broke out across his face. I practically melted to the floor. He started to walk over to me and I searched my mind, trying to remember my name, let alone think of anything coherent to say to this beautiful man.

"Hello," he said in a velvety voice that made me want to melt into the floor, and handed me the beautiful bouquet** (pictures of flowers in profile)**. "H-Hi. I'm B-Bella." I said nervously, trying to make sure that was actually my name. "How very pleasant to meet you, finally. So shall we get on with this date, then?" He asked expectantly. "Of course," I said, regaining some of my composure and waving goodbye to Martha, who had a look of desire on her face, and Jim, looking daunted by Edward's mere presence, as we walked out of the small bookstore.

"Will it be okay if we take my car from here? We aren't going far, but it would be easier than you trying to follow me in your car." He asked casually. I nodded my head and followed him to a beautiful, silver, Volvo C70. **(picture in profile). **"Wow. What a beautiful car." I said, as he walked me to the passenger door and held it open for me. This act of chivalry threw me off, but I whispered a "Thanks." as I slid into the seat. I heard him get in the driver side, and then I heard the low purr of the car starting. Then, we were off.

We drove for about 3 blocks, at about 70 miles per hour, and suddenly slowed to a stop outside of Agua Verde Paddle Club.** (link in profile).** I had been too frightened to say anything to him about the speed, although I did feel a strange feeling of safety in his presence. He quickly got out and before I could even get myself unbuckled, he was at my side, holding the door open with one hand, the other outstretched to me for help getting out. Lucky he did this, since I almost fell to my face just trying to get out of his car. He caught me just in time. I could see all the little breaks and rocks in the asphalt, as he straightened me back up.

We made our way inside and he guided me by placing his hand on the small of my back. His hand felt cool, even through my dress, and it felt as though he had an electrifying touch. I had felt it before at the car, but thought it was just friction from the seat. I craved more of it, but I focused more on what was going on. He walked in and paid for a rental kayak for two. We rented the double kayak for two hours.

We decided to go to the Arboretum since it would have the most relaxing site-seeing as well as the most varied sites to see. He led me over to a blue kayak and helped me into my side. I thanked Alice in my head for not making me wear heels. Edward climbed into his side and then we were off. I actually got to take a good look at him now. He was wearing a black blazer over a simple gray t-shirt. **(Picture of blazer and shirt in profile). **He was wearing some dark wash denim jeans, too.

I was about to try rowing with him, when he spoke. "Don't even, Miss Swan. I'm doing the dirty work. Your only job is to look pretty, which you more than cover, and tell me about yourself." I blushed a bright red. "Well, I'm going to Cornish next month, as you know, and right now, I live with my best friend, Alice Brandon, and her big brother Emmett. We all attend Cornish, actually." He smiled and paused to take his blazer off.

I nearly gasped at how nicely it clung to the slight definition of muscles underneath. I was at a loss for words as I watched the muscles in his arms flex while he continued to move us farther out into the water. "Please, go on." He finally said, bringing me out of my stupor.

"Well, up until yesterday, I was living in Forks with my mother, Renee, she's a kindergarten teacher, and my father, Charlie. He's the police chief there." I continued, trying to keep my cool. His emerald eyes were penetrating, as he seemed to take in everything I had to say eagerly. This made me feel a tad bit awkward, so I asked him to tell me about himself instead.

"As long as I get to hear more about you, too." He said with a wink. I agreed and he continued. "Well, believe it or not, I also lived in Forks, with my adopted parents Esme and Carlisle Cullen. We lived just outside of Forks and I was kind of home-schooled so not many people knew about me, but my father is a doctor at the hospital there. I was adopted at age 3, but they've always been my parents to me, they are really amazing." He sighed at the end. "I know Dr. Cullen. I've actually seen him plenty of times. I'm quite clumsy, so I made frequent visits to the hospital. I'm surprised I never knew he had a son. My dad always talked to him. They were on first name basis because of how often I went in." I laughed uneasily and blushed a little. Edward just flashed me one of his crooked smiles that made me forget everything around me, except for him.

He continued on with his story. "I'm attending Cornish in hopes of getting a Music Composition degree so I can publish my music. I love to write songs for the piano. My father wanted me to be a doctor, but music is my true passion. Right now, I'm living by myself in an apartment near the school." He stopped. He started to look around us. Apparently, we had reached the lookout spot. It was amazing. There were so many different birds and colors surrounding us. The sun was also beginning to set, leaving the sky a mix of oranges and reds, tinting the nature around us. I could feel the lowering sun, glowing on my pale skin. I heard Edward whisper a "Absolutely breathtaking," which I assumed was about the view, until I realized he was staring right at me, his emerald eyes glowing in the light of the setting sun.

He had a look of almost awe on his face. I got embarrassed to be looked at with such longing by a man, especially one as handsome as Edward. I blushed and kept my eyes busy on nature instead of locking my eyes with his intense emeralds.

We started making our way back as he heard my stomach rumbling and our time was just about up. "So what are your classes this semester?" I heard him ask, suddenly. "Oh, um, well I have Us and Them, and Visual Art History I on Mondays and Wednesdays, Honors English on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Art Foundations and Intro to Digital Media on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What about you?" I replied almost robotically. I immediately blushed at how offhand I must have sounded. He didn't seem to notice, or just didn't care as he replied. "Well, I have Composition Seminar On Mondays and Wednesdays, Honors English and Music Theory II on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Existentialism and Piano II on Tuesdays and Thursdays."

"Oh really? We have the same English class!" I said, not remembering to hide my sudden, yet severe, enthusiasm about having more time with this entrancing man. "Well, I suppose we do." He said seductively in his velvet-smooth voice. His crooked grin also made yet another heart-melting appearance. "Who's your teacher? Mine's Leycht." He continued. I smiled. "Mine's Leycht, too."

Suddenly, I felt a slight thud and realized we were back at the paddle club. He climbed out of his side of the kayak easily and grabbed his blazer. Before I could even wiggle my way out of my side, he was next to me, offering his hand as help. I gladly took it and that same electricity from before, pulsed through my hand. I wondered if he felt it too.

We made our way back to the parking lot and to his car. It was a silent walk, but it was a comfortable silence. He opened the passenger door for me and I slid inside. The car purred, once again, to life and then we were flying down the road to some unknown location. When he finally spoke, it almost startled me, but when I got a look at the speedometer inching towards 80 miles per hour, I internally gasped. "Well, I know you like Italian food, so I thought I'd take you to one of my favorite Italian restaurants, in Seattle, Osteria La Spiga **(link in profile)**," he said, keeping his eyes on the road. I forced a smile and a "That's great," as I tried to relax myself. As if he could read my mind, he turned on his stereo. Clair de Lune flowed from the speakers. I immediately relaxed.

Not two minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of a quaint looking Italian restaurant. He rushed out of his side and was opening my door the next moment. I placed my hand in his, welcoming the electricity. I craved it now. I craved his touch, I wondered how it would feel to be pressed up against him, to feel his soft, inviting lips against my own. I had to stop thinking this way so I could focus on where I was walking.

He held the door open to me and we walked to the stand where the hostess stood. "Table for two, please." He said in his velvety voice to the hostess. She didn't move for a moment because she was busy ogling Edward. I felt a pang of jealousy, even though I could not even call him my own. He seemed not to notice and just looked to me with a smile on his face. I tried to push the anger out of my eyes, so he wouldn't see how strongly I already felt for him. I questioned it myself. The hostess finally got a hold of herself and walked us to a booth in the middle of the restaurant.

"Could we get something a little more, private," he paused to read her name tag, "Jenna?" He said in his seductive voice. She looked a little ruffled that he wanted to be alone with me, but led us to a quiet booth in a corner of the restaurant. I slid in before him and he sat slightly across from me, or as much as you could in a curved booth. The hostess handed us our menus and informed us that our server would be with us shortly. I secretly hoped it was a guy, so he wouldn't stare at Edward.

I felt the need to talk to him more, to get to know everything I could about him. "So, tell me about your parents, I mean I've met your dad at work, but I don't really know him." I said. He laughed, "Well, they took me in when I was three. My mother, Elizabeth Masen, died from flu complications and my father, Edward Masen, Sr., had died only a couple months before from the same thing. I was living in Chicago at the time, and that's where Carlisle worked. He had worked on my mother and father and immediately offered to take me in. After about a year, we moved over here to Forks, and they've been there ever since. My mom, Esme, she is sweet, caring, loving, and I know she would do anything for her family, as we would do anything for her. She's also a great teacher. My dad, Carlisle, is hard-working, patient, and a definite people-person, but his family always comes first. I love them both dearly, and I think of them as my actual parents."

Without even thinking, I immediately moved my hand over his. I only realized what I had done, when I felt the electricity and the cool skin of his hand. He smiled at me, his crooked grin reaching up to meet his eyes. In that moment, I wanted to crash my lips to his, have my way with him right in the restaurant. I didn't care if anyone else was there. It felt like it was only him and me. But before I could act on these newfound emotions, our waitress showed up.

She looked directly at Edward as she asked for our drink order, but instead of replying, Edward looked to me to answer first. "I'll have a coke." I said, looking at her with burning eyes. "Two, please," was all Edward said to her, as he continued to stare at my hand still laying on top of his. She left, grumbling, and went to get our drink orders.

I felt Edward flip his hand underneath mine and squeeze my hand in his lightly. I nearly jumped at the feeling. We decided we should actually look at what to order before the waitress returned. I decided on a mushroom ravioli and he decided on a chicken linguine. I felt a small spark as his pant leg brushed against my bare leg, as he adjusted his seat, just a small bit closer to me. I had to watch myself before I did something irrational with this guy I had only just met, even though it felt like I'd known him all my life.

Our waitress came back with our drinks, some breadsticks, and a sour attitude. She didn't even look at us, she just stared at her pad of paper. She sighed and said sarcastically, "What can I get the lovely couple?" Edward was quick and to the point to get her away faster, "The lovely lady here, will have the mushroom ravioli and I will have the chicken linguine." He still managed to sound polite and formal despite his obvious tension around her. With that, she turned on her heel and left to get our food.

He turned towards me and looked at me with his sparkling emerald eyes penetrating my soul. And then he said the most random thing, "What's your favorite color?" I nearly laughed, but got a hold of myself in time to blurt out, "Green, emerald green." I blushed as soon as I said it. _Oh God, did I really just say that?_ I thought to myself. "Why are you blushing?" He asked in his velvety voice. I couldn't not tell him, I'd already gotten myself in this deep, shouldn't start off with lying. "Well, it's just that, it's the color of your eyes." I blushed a deep crimson, my former favorite color. He chuckled, "Well I'm glad to be the holder of something that is your favorite." He said this with a wink that nearly made me melt into the seat. "I'd have to say mine is blue, especially with how stunning you look in it," he continued with a smile. Then he seemed to be thinking for a moment, like he was having an internal battle with himself.

"You know, I would love to spend more time with you, I mean, maybe we could study together. Because, of course, we do have English together. Would you mind if I gave you my address, for some study sessions, of course. I have a roommate, so it wouldn't be awkward to where we'd be all alone or anything." He said this, almost stuttering. It was so adorable to see him searching for words. "That's great. Actually, I'd love to have you over at my house for studying, too. I have Alice and Emmett there to watch over me, not that I'll need it for you, but you know what I mean." I said, smiling, as I searched my purse for a pen and a pad of paper. I found them near the bottom and set them on the table. I ripped a piece of paper out and ripped it in two. I handed one piece to him and handed him the pen. I looked for another pen and wrote my address on my paper.

We exchanged the pieces of paper and I put his address safely in a pocket of my purse. Just then our food showed up. We ate in silence, smiling at each other between bites. All of a sudden, one of the pieces of linguine he had sucked up, splashed sauce all over his chin and cheek. I nearly choked on a ravioli from laughter. I wiped away a tear from my eye and got my air back after laughing so much. We finished our dinners and had just enough room for dessert. He ordered us some tiramisu. Again, he adjusted his seat and brushed his leg against mine. I had to grip the seat, so as to not launch myself at the gorgeous man beside me.

Our dessert showed up and before I could even get a fork into it, he grabbed a bite and held it up to my mouth. I took it into my mouth slowly and slid it off even slower, so as to not spill any of it on my new dress. I felt him shudder beside me. I did the same for him and he did exactly what I did. I just sat there with my mouth slightly open, wishing I could be the fork instead. I shivered a little. He seemed to notice and a small smile seemed to appear, and it disappeared just as soon.

The bill finally showed up and I went to grab my wallet from my purse. Before I could even look at the total, he had gotten out a credit card and handed it back to the waitress. I regretfully put my wallet back in my purse. He got the bill back, signed and then we were headed back to his car. He opened the door for me, yet again, and I slid inside. He got in his side, started the car, and this time, Muse filled the car, with their song, Starlight. "They're my favorite band," he said smiling. "I like them, too," I said, mirroring his smile. We made the rest of the trip back to the bookstore silently, as we raced through downtown Seattle in his shiny Volvo.

We pulled up to the bookstore in no time, unfortunately and it was time to say goodbye. He got out, grabbed the flowers that had stayed in a vase in the cub holder and was at my door. He helped me out and handed me the flowers once more. "I'm so sad to say goodbye, so instead I'll say, I'll see you later, in two weeks when school starts if not sooner," he said smiling. "Sooner, sounds better, but we'll see how things work out," I said grinning sheepishly.

Instinctively I started to lean in, my eyes slowly shutting, he leaned in, too, but being the gentleman he was, he leaned to the side of my face, kissed my cheek and whispered, "Not tonight," tickling my ear and making my body want him even more. I blushed and my cheek felt it was on fire where his lips had touched. Sadly, I nodded my head and walked to Alice's car. I got in and shut the door, watching him walk around to the driver's side. He didn't stop looking at me until he got into his car. I couldn't see through the dark tint of his car to see if he was still looking so I turned on the car and drove home with a huge smile on my face, thinking only of Edward.

I pulled up to the house fifteen minutes later and before I could even put my key in the lock, Alice had yanked the door open and was launching questions about my date at a million miles an hour. I just blushed and made my way inside, not without tripping over the door jamb, of course. Curse my clumsiness.

I put the flowers on my desk in my room and walked over to the front room. I sat on the couch and I filled her in on all the details of my wonderful date. She clapped and jumped up and down at the end screaming something about "My little girl is all grown up," but I had drowned her out and was replaying the date over and over, especially the part where he kissed my cheek. She got up and went to her room, pleased that she had helped make my date a success.

I walked back to my room and prepared for bed. I looked at the clock that read 11:45 p.m. I hadn't realized how long we had been at the restaurant or how long I'd spent talking to Alice. I slid into a turquoise blue baby-doll nightie **(picture in profile).** that Alice and I had picked up at Victoria's secret, thinking about what Edward's comment earlier about me being in blue and wondered what he would think of it on me.

I slid into bed and imagined how it would feel to have Edward lying beside me, the electricity coursing through my veins at every touch, every embrace, the heat from every kiss. I smiled to myself and was about to fall asleep, until I saw a shadow outside my blind-covered window. The moonlight was shining directly on someone standing outside my window. They hesitated, and then moved out of view. I was scared, but I knew that if anyone did try to break in, Emmett would be the first to attack and the home security company would call immediately.

I tried to fall asleep.

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**Well, there you have it. It's a little later than I was hoping for, but it's 9 pages long on word, so you guys forgive me right? I try to make them long so the wait is more worth it. I love seeing all you amazing reviewers and hope you enjoyed the chapter. Wonder who's hiding in the shadows? Anyways, sorry if I kinda suck at the whole sexual tension thing. I tried, but I'm no Stephenie Meyer or any of the other amazing authors on fanfiction lol. Well, thanks again to all my awesome readers. Don't forget to R&R :D**

**-DL**


	5. College, Blue, and Baby Eddie

**A/N: You guys are amazing! I love seeing so many new reviewers and such nice and helpful reviews! I'm at more than 1,200 hits and over 50 alerts! I feel so loved. Thank you guys so much for reading my story. I'm glad you like it :)**

**I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 5: College, Blue, and Baby Eddie  
**

**BPOV**

I couldn't get the image of the person standing outside of my head. Every time I closed my eyes, the image burned the back of my lids, forcing them to fly open again. It felt like this went on for an hour, but when I looked at the clock, it had only been five minutes. Just as I settled back into bed, I saw the shadow again, except this time I could see that he/she were leaning into the window, cupping his/her hands against the window, trying to see in. I held back a scream, as I scooted as close to my headboard as I could get. I knew that the person couldn't see me, but it scared me nonetheless.

Then, I heard it, the muffled sounds of someone calling my name. I realized it was coming from the window. "Bella? Bella? Are you in there?" I heard a surprisingly comforting voice say. My heart fluttered at the thought. Edward had come to visit me. He was as hooked to me as I was to him in the short amount of time we had spent together. I crawled out of bed and went to the window. I peeked through the blinds to see that it was indeed my Greek God in the flesh, his pale skin illuminated by the light of the moon, making him even more drool-worthy.

I opened the blinds, which startled him a little, but then the familiar smile filled his face. I found myself smiling in return and then remembered that it was near midnight and the boy I had only met a few hours ago, was standing outside my window. I cracked the window open and started whispering to him.

"What are you doing here? How did you know this was my room?" I whispered urgently.

He smiled sheepishly, "I couldn't help it. I had to see you. I don't know what it is. It's like you're a drug and I'm already hooked to you. And about the room, I don't know I just guessed."

I was a little taken aback by his remark. _Had I really already affected him as much as he had affected me?_ I thought to myself. "So what exactly are you saying? I'm your brand of heroin?" I said incredulously.

"_Yes, you are exactly my brand of heroin."_ **(Twilight!) **He said this with a smile on his lips that made me want to jump through the window and kiss him.

I smiled back and opened the window wider. "Do you want to come in?" I asked quietly. He smiled, "Sure..but only if you really want me to." He added the last part quickly in an effort to seem less weird I guessed.

I opened the window wider and pushed the screen aside, allowing him to crawl in through the window. He had obviously changed clothes since the date, wearing just the gray shirt and some black sweats. He kicked off his tennis shoes once he made it inside. I closed the window beside him, having to lean over a bit in my attempt to get the screen back in place. I finally succeeded and stepped back to assess my visitor. His eyes seem to drink me in, then I realized what I was wearing. I blushed a bright pink and tried to cover my chest. He smiled at me and pretended to look away out of courtesy.

I climbed into my bed and hid myself behind my covers. I looked at Edward expectantly and when he didn't grasp it, I patted the spot beside me. He smiled and climbed on gracefully, setting himself beside me.

"So what exactly did you plan to do once you got here?" I asked slyly.

"Well actually, I hadn't even thought that out. I kinda just came here on a whim, planning as I went, and as you can see I didn't plan too far ahead." He said, with a sheepish smirk on his face.

"Well, then let's make plans! Let's play twenty questions. Get to know one another more. I mean you're here so why not?" I said excitedly, eager to learn more about this amazing, gorgeous man in my bed for something other than physical benefit. He nodded in agreement with my plan, putting on a mock serious face, which broke out into a huge grin.

"Question number one!" I said acting like some kind of game show host. "How many dates have you gone on since joining the site?"

"Two. But only one mattered. The other was a pretend date with my roommate to prepare me for my first date," he said winking at me. "My turn. Question two. How many boyfriends have you had?"

I blushed, and paused, embarrassed of how he might take my answer.

"It's okay, you can break it to me, five, ten, twenty?" He said, chuckling a little.

"None." I said quietly, blushing even more.

"Unbelievable. You're lying, aren't you. Come on, you can tell me the truth." He said, a little saddened at the thought that I could already be lying to him, as if I didn't trust him.

I finally let out a sigh. "No. It's true. I've never dated anyone. You're the first boy I've ever even been out with. Don't see why it's so hard to believe. I'm nothing special. Just ordinary Bella." I shrugged at the end of my little speech.

"_You don't see yourself clearly..., you are far from ordinary._"he said in a low voice. **(it's driving me crazy, which book is this from?!).**

"Well, you know, it's my turn to ask a question, so question three!" I said trying to bring back the enthusiasm for our game. "Okay. Let's be simple. What's your favorite color?"

"Blue," he answered without hesitation. Then he smiled before continuing, "You meant on you right? 'Cause if not, it still is my favorite because it reminds me of you. Question four! Would you let me fill the open position for boyfriend?" He said all this with his crooked grin reaching up to meet his eyes.

I nearly melted into my bed. The smile always managed to dazzle me, as well as his sparkling emerald eyes, which seemed to smolder in the small amount of moonlight flowing into the room.

"Yes," I finally managed to get out. "Uh, question, um, five. Right, five." I giggled. "How was your first kiss?" I quickly put on a serious face, trying to hide my apprehension for his answer.

"I assume, it'll be perfect. I've never actually had a first kiss, but I would be more than happy to practice with you." He finished with a wink and that was all I could take for tonight.

"Okay, maybe we should go to sleep. It's almost one o'clock. I have to make everyone breakfast in the morning." I said, trying to regain my cool, as I snuggled deep into my covers.

Edward groaned, mumbling about how he hadn't gotten to ask more questions, but climbed into the bed beside me. He snuggled into my side, wrapping his arm around my waist, which felt oddly comforting and incredibly warm. He whispered one last question in my ear.

"Question six. Can I hold you like this forever?" He snuggled into the crook of my neck after he asked the question. I just mumbled an agreement and was about to fall asleep in this amazing man's arms. The last conscience thing I heard was "Goodnight, my Bella." as I drifted off to dreamland.

I dreamed about Edward. His full, soft-looking lips, his gorgeous emerald eyes that could pierce your soul, his beautiful body hidden underneath his tight shirt, being able to feel him against me. I smiled at all these thoughts, but was woken up by the sound of the angel-I-dreamed-of's velvet-smooth voice.

"Wake up, Bella." he whispered in my ear. His warm breath tickled my ear. I turned to face him and his sweet breath fanned out across my face as he spoke again. "You're cute in your sleep. You talk." He smiled as he said this.

I froze. _Oh lord. What did I say last night. _I thought to myself. I tried replaying my dream in my head, trying to think of what I might of said. I just remembered seeing Edward. Cautiously, I asked, "Wh-what did I say?" an immediate pink blush covering my cheeks.

"Well, you said, 'Oh Edward' a couple times, and uh, you might've moaned just a little." he said blushing slightly at the memory. I felt the heat take over my face, covering me in, I'm a sure, a deep crimson blush, so I turned and buried my head in my pillow, groaning about being so stupid and how I couldn't keep my big, stupid mouth shut. Edward leaned over to comfort me, his warm body leaning against me, I felt myself relapse slightly into my dream, smiling to myself, but that was quickly shattered by something terrifying.

I heard my door creak open, as I heard Emmett booming, "Oh, Bella! What are you making for break-" He paused mid-question as he took in the site of Edward and I in my bed. "Who the hell are you?! What are you doing with Bella?! Get out of her bed you creep! What kind of perverted jerk are you?!" Emmett yelled at Edward, not knowing it was Edward and surprised that I even had a visitor.

I moved to sit up, but the flash of turquoise from my nightie caught Emmett's eye, which dragged him out of his rant against Edward. "ISABELLA MARIE SWAN! I thought you were smarter than that!! Oh...I can't take this..." He trailed off at the last part, turning to leave, not knowing what to think of what he had just walked in on.

"Emmett! It's not what you think!" I tried to shout to him from my dresser, searching for pajama shorts or pants to put on under my nightie. I looked pleadingly at Edward, telling him to just wait there while I went and explained to Emmett.

"No, I caused this, let me come with to explain. Please. It's the least I can do, for upsetting your friend. I'm sure he sees you as family and is a little distraught at the moment." Edward said calmly, he hopped off the bed and walked with me to the front room, where Emmett sat on the couch with his head in his hands, shaking it back and forth. Alice was sitting next to him, apparently his yelling had woken her up. She was trying to get him to tell her what was wrong, when she heard me walk in and saw the two of us walking over to them. Her eyes widened, but she seemed calm enough to listen to what we had to say.

I moved to sit in the loveseat alongside the couch, Edward moving to sit beside me, and I tried to make Emmett look up. Alice tapped him. His eyes met mine, with a confused and despairing look, as if he had failed me or something. I cringed at the pain and tried to explain in a shaky voice, but Edward beat me to the punch.

"Emmett," he said, "this is my fault. I never meant to cause any problems between friends. It's just that, last night, was one of the most amazing nights of my life, Bella is an amazing woman. Right when I met her, I felt this pull, like I was supposed to meet her, you could call it fate, destiny, whatever. Either way, I had to see more of her, I wasn't sure when I'd be able to, but I had to. So I decided on trying to visit her here. It seemed she wanted to see me just as much, since she let me in willingly. I had been ready to go home, afraid she would reject me, think I was weird, but for some crazy reason, she found it endearing. Now, I will be honest, we did not do anything physical last night, aside from a hug and a little spooning. All we did was play a very short round of twenty questions and fell asleep. I'm very sorry to have upset you, I never meant to cause problems, I just haven't felt this way about anyone before. I didn't even think before I came over here, it's like I was drawn here." He finished by taking a deep breath. It had been quite the mouthful.

Emmett just sat there in shock, I sat there speechless, and I could've sworn I saw a smile play across Alice's lips. Edward looked down at his hands, as if expecting a huge outburst, to be dragged from the house, to be called weird, stalker, told I never wanted to see him again.

Emmett seemed to come out of his stupor. "Bella, do you feel the same as he seems to?" He said quietly. I nodded my head silently. "Well then, I guess all I can say is..." he paused, "what's for breakfast?" He half-smiled, but then turned seriously to Edward. "Next time, I would suggest a phone call, or at least come through the front door." He let out his big Emmett smile and clapped Edward on the back.

Edward smiled my favorite crooked grin. I got up to go to the kitchen to start making breakfast, Edward followed. I turned to face the front room again, "Are blueberry muffins and waffles okay for breakfast?" I heard two yeses return from Alice and Emmett, and a velvety agreement from behind me. I hadn't realized he was behind me, so I nearly jumped at the sound of his voice. He chuckled to himself.

"So what do you need help with?" he asked curiously.

"You don't need to help, but you can stay and keep me company while I cook if you want." I replied, blushing a little.

"But I want to help." he said, with a small pout. He looked absolutely adorable, so I couldn't refuse him.

"Okay, fine. Can you start mixing the muffin mix, I'll get the blueberries out of the fridge." I said smiling, as I walked to the refrigerator.

We worked together, talking the whole time, laughing about random things, discussing school. To be honest, college scared the hell out of me. It seemed so much different from high school, and now we had to pay for our class, so failing meant, basically wasting money. I was scared that I wouldn't be good enough to pass my art classes, or any of my classes, actually, but I didn't tell anyone that.

We finally finished making breakfast and poured the glasses of milk. Edward had chocolate milk, like me. We all ate at the counter, Emmett and Alice asking Edward all kinds of questions, like what he wanted to be, where he had been living before, what classes he was taking. They all seemed to get along great. I smiled to myself, glad that I had finally found someone that seemed right for me and seemed perfect in every way, but I couldn't help the nagging feeling that it was too good to be true.

Breakfast finished and we all did the dishes together. Emmett and Alice went back to their rooms to get ready for the day, leaving Edward and I standing in the kitchen together. I felt like I needed to do something other than stand there, so I started walking back to my room. Edward came in and sat on the bed. I started picking out my clothes for the day.

"Do you wanna do something today?" I asked, while rummaging through my drawers.

"Sure. Sounds fine with me. What did you have in mind?" He answered in the velvet voice that made me want to melt to the floor.

"Doesn't matter. How about we just go out for coffee and decide from there?" I said, trying to gain my cool back.

He agreed and I was about to go get ready, when I realized he would need to, too.

"Um, do you have stuff to change into?" I asked hesitantly.

"Oh, no. I'm gonna head home, but I'll use the front door to leave this time," he winked, "So where do you want to meet for coffee? Starbucks where?"

"There's one around the corner from here in a grocery store center. That work? Meet in about an hour and a half?" I said, wondering if it would be busy on a Sunday morning. It couldn't be too terribly busy, lots of people had church. He nodded his agreement and got off the bed. He leaned down to me and kissed my cheek, whispering in my ear seductively, "I still think blue is my favorite color on you. See you later." His breath tickled my ear and he pecked my cheek again, then left. I heard the front door close and got ready.

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I was about to get in Alice's car after checking my reflection in the window. I was wearing a simple blue polo and a black pleated skirt, with white, with blue stripes, softball socks, and dark blue vans. **(outfit in profile).** I had my hair in a low side ponytail. I turned to get in the car, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward's Volvo across the street. He caught my eye and waved me over. Apparently, we were going in his car, so I ran Alice's keys back into the house and locked the door on my way out.

He got out of the car and opened my door for me as usual, and then we were off. We arrived at Starbucks only moments later, and it was only halfway packed, like I thought it would be. We made our way inside and placed our orders, again he didn't let me pay for my own order. It always surprised me, how much of a gentleman he was. We both got our double chocolate chip frappuccinos and found a table in the back corner where we could sit and talk.

"You look gorgeous in that. I think you like to torture me, by dressing that way." He said after we sat down. I just blushed a dark pink. "I love when you blush," he said, his eyes smoldering, causing me to blush even darker, "You will be the death of me." After the little exchange, I regained some composure, as did he, and we resumed a real conversation.

For a while we just talked about our crazy morning and how surprised I was at Emmett's reaction and that I was suspicious of Alice because of the grin she had on when Emmett was okay with him. He just laughed and told me that he liked them a lot and that his roommate would probably like us all as much as he does. Suddenly, the conversation switched back to Alice. He wanted to know if she planned on still using the site after her first horrible date, he also wanted to know what had happened.

"Well, his names was James Whitlan. He seemed somewhat odd in his profile and his answers to her questions, but we decided to give him a chance. He turned out to be a total creepy photographer guy, that tried to go too far with her, and they were alone at his house without her car, so she had to call Emmett and me to go pick her up. She was really shaken up when we got there." I shuddered at the thought of her frightened, tear-stained face from that night.

Edward seemed sad, not really knowing how to respond to the horrible situation my best friend had gotten into. Finally, he seemed to decide on something to say.

"Y'know, if she doesn't want to trust the site anymore, I could set her up with one of my good friends. He's a little older, but he's got a good head on his shoulders. I've known him since we were little. Him and his twin sister. They're like family, even if his sister drives me nuts. They're gonna be my roommates soon." He said, laughing a little at some unknown-to-me memory.

"That actually might be better for her to meet someone that you know well, rather than someone none of us know at all. Plus, it could be a group outing, maybe I could get Emmett to come along to keep your friend's sister occupied, too." I said smiling, hoping this would help Alice after her trauma.

Finally, after about an hour, he decided he needed to get home to help his roommates settle in. They were moving in today, which is why he had said he was living alone yesterday. He drove me home and kissed my cheek and hugged me goodbye, before he sped home to his apartment. I sauntered inside to tell Alice about the plans we had made for once school started. Apparently, his roommates went to Cornish, too, so we could all meet at school at some point.

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The next day, I had an interview at the bookstore. I dressed in a simple button up, white shirt and some simple black slacks. I left my hair in sleek waves flowing down my back. I wore some low black pumps and went in with a small black clutch purse. I took Alice's car again and parked in one of the empty front parking spots. Martha smiled when she saw me walk in and pointed to the employee only door. I walked in and found Jim sitting at a desk, with a paper filled with questions in front of him. He had me sit in the comfortable chair across from him and the interview commenced.

He asked all the normal questions, why do you want to work here, what do you feel sets you apart from other applicants, what extra skills do you have, etc. When we finished, he smiled and stood, shaking my hand and he said, "We only have to do this out of protocol. You're definitely hired. We know you'll do a great job and won't let us down. You can start on Wednesday, from nine to three. Once school starts, we can start working around your schedule." With that, I smiled, thanked him for the opportunity, said goodbye to Martha and left for home. I immediately texted Edward the good news.

The rest of the day passed quickly, as well as the next since I wasn't hanging out with Edward and Alice seemed to be off in her own little world, excited that school started the next week. But soon enough, Wednesday morning came and it was time for my first day of work. I wore a zebra topped dress that Alice had gotten me. It had zebra print on the top half and the bottom half was like a black pencil skirt, the two halves separated by a built-in belt. **(picture in profile). **Alice had convinced me to at least wear eyeliner and mascara, with a little lip gloss, leaving only my hair to do. I pulled my hair back into a messy bun and left for work.

Alice dropped me off this time so she could use the car to go shopping, but I was glad I had got out of shopping thanks to my new job. I walked into the store and met the smell of old and new books. This job was perfect. I loved reading, I loved books, and I loved my new bosses. I couldn't have found a better job for myself.

Throughout the first half of my shift, I stocked and dusted shelves, and made sales, especially large ones to any male that entered the store for some reason. Then at around noon, my half hour lunch break started. I was about to walk next door to a little café when Edward walked through the front doors. He was carrying a bag from subway and two drinks. I smiled and went next door with him to an outside table. He had picked my favorite sandwich, turkey on wheat with lettuce, pickles, olives, and mustard. He must've asked Alice or Emmett.

He asked me how my first day at work was going, and I told him it was great, but it was strange because the guys seemed to be the big spenders today, and on books that aren't just sports magazines. He just laughed to himself as if he was in on some secret joke.

"Have you looked in a mirror?" He said, still slightly chuckling to himself.

I immediately became self conscious, wondering if there was something on my face. I dug through my small purse looking for my compact. I flipped it open and saw nothing different than I had this morning, I had to admit, today I wasn't too bad to look at. Then I finally got what he was saying. He seemed to figure out that it now made sense and he laughed a little more.

"They were trying to impress you. Hoping that if they looked smarter you might give them the time of day. But I could see why they would try. You are absolutely gorgeous, as usual," he winked at me and paused to think about something.

"Bella, would you be my beautiful girlfriend?" He said suddenly, peering at me from under his long lashes, that beautiful crooked grin plastered across his face. I sat there stunned for a moment, only able to nod my head, but then I snapped out of it, "Yes!" I said excitedly. He smiled a wide smile and got up from his chair to hug me.

Sadly, I had to go back to work, so we gathered up our trash and tossed it in the nearby trash can. He took my hand to walk me back into the store and then kissed my cheek goodbye, making my cheeks burn with color.

"Oh, Edward, I don't have my car here with me, would you pick me up after work? If it's a problem, I'll just have Alice come get me." I said, rushing out the last words and looking to my feet, feeling embarrassed for asking my brand new boyfriend to do something for me already.

"Anything for you, love." he said, smiling at me as he got into his car.

I walked back behind the counter, with a huge smile on my face and waited for my shift to end.

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The rest of the week had passed quickly now that I was occupied with work and last minute preparations for school. Edward was taking me to and from work every day so far. I really needed to get a car. Maybe I could find a good, cheap, used car, but I knew Alice would have none of that.

Suddenly, it felt like school just appeared. It was the first day of school. I only had two classes this day, since it was a Thursday and there was a huge gap in between. Maybe Alice could take me to look at cars after we got some lunch. She didn't have a class until 7 at night. Some fashion illustration class with a Professor Murphy.

For the first day of school I decided on a gray turtleneck dress with a pleated skirt attached that I had picked up at Victoria's Secret. **(picture in profile).** I did my hair in light curls so that it waved down my back and put on some eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. I topped it off with some black low pumps and was off to Art Foundations with Professor Tomlinson. Emmett dropped me off this time since he had an early class, too. His was an hour later than mine and was some Design Fundamentals class with Professor Boye, but he still got up and took me so that he could find his class and talk to the teacher about something.

My first class passed quickly and I met Edward at his classroom. His class had ended at the same time. He decided to take me to Alice, since he wanted to go with us to get my new car. We sped to the house at unreasonable speeds and Alice hopped into the car excitedly. She was bouncing all around the backseat jabbering on and on about what kind of car I should get and what color and all kinds of other things. I was too distracted by the feel of Edward's hand in mine. It was electric, something so intense and wonderful, I couldn't even describe it. It took all I had in me not to crawl over the seat and attack his beautiful, soft looking lips with my own.

We finally pulled into a used car dealership and started looking through their selection. I looked through the aisles of cars, Alice jumping up and down while passing all the expensive nice looking cars and Edward pointing out reliable, expensive cars. Finally, I found one that was perfect. It wasn't too expensive, it was beautiful, and it was reliable, a 2004 Acura TL Supercharger in a sleek black. **(picture in profile).** I immediately went over to the salesman and haggled the price down to 12,000 dollars, which was a steal for the normally 35,000 dollar or more car. Alice and Edward immediately got out their checkbooks, smiling and laughing about how easy it had been to get me a car and before I could yell at them that I would be paying with my new salary, the deal was already made.

I signed the contract and got into my new car. The anger and frustration I had felt at the two of them spending outrageous amounts of money on me, slipped away as I sat in the driver's seat. I felt the leather of the steering wheel and looked over the cool looking radio system. It was perfect. I drove home with Alice in the passenger seat and Edward followed.

When we got home, we all went in and watched some television. Edward had Existentialism in an hour and I had Digital Media in two. Edward and I snuggled together on the couch, while Alice laid across the loveseat, her tiny body barely covering from one end to the other. Only a moment later, Emmett walked in, with a huge, goofy grin plastered on his face.

"I have a feeling this has to do with a girl you met in class, Emmett." I heard Alice's musical voice suddenly say, as she looked at him with a suspicious smile playing on her lips.

Emmett just smiled wider and walked over to the couch. He plopped down next to me and Edward, making us sink in the couch and slide toward him just a tad.

"She's gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful, like, the definition of beauty. She's amazing. She's smart, too. Kinda cocky, and can be a real smart talker, but that's what makes her hotter. We talked all through class and all the way till her next class was about to start." Emmett finally said, his eyes glazing over in thoughts of the unknown beauty queen.

We all just laughed at his reaction to the girl and his slight sighing of a cupid-struck hormonal teenage boy. It almost felt like high school again, except we weren't hearing about Emmett from Jessica Stanley or Lauren Mallory, with those dopey grins on their faces and sighs whenever he walked by. It always made Alice and me gag, but we sucked it up, because at the time, they were our friends. We found out that was conditional once Emmett graduated and moved away.

We watched an old Spongebob rerun, but then it was time for Edward to go to class. I pouted a little as I walked him to the door.

"I wish you didn't have to go. It's too many hours apart," I whined, teasingly, "but at least you could come over for dinner tonight." I brightened up a little at the thought.

"I'm sorry, I promised my roommates we'd go out tonight, being my first day of college and all. But you'll meet one of my roommates tomorrow. He's my best friend. He has English with us. His name's Jasper. Maybe we could all go out to dinner tomorrow night." He said, trying to appease me, hoping I wasn't too upset that we couldn't spend tonight together.

"Sounds great." I said, feigning enthusiasm about not getting to see him tonight but the promise of seeing him tomorrow, but something he had said, rung some sort of bell. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd heard it. It was the name, but who did I know named Jasper? It seemed such a funny name, reserved for the bad guy in 101 Dalmatians. I felt like I had seen it somewhere.

I kissed his check goodbye, and he caresses my cheek with his cool hand before walking to his car and leaving for class. For the next hour, I watched the television mindlessly, trying to remember the name's familiarity. It came time for class and I left on autopilot, already knowing to take my car.

Getting in my car brought me out of my thoughts. This was my car. This beautiful hunk of metal, was my baby. I figured I should name it. Something cute, memorable, and something that reminds me of my favorite thing. I named it Eddie. It's something that reminded me of Edward and a baby, being something else that was cute. My baby Eddie. I giggled at the thought as I drove to class.

My class was mostly information, that I tuned out. I was back to my mind suffocating problem. Why was I so forgetful? Why did the name sound so familiar? Who is Jasper? Hopefully, he's nice, since I was kinda, sorta setting up Alice on a date with him unknowingly. If it worked out, she could always thank me later. If not, well, she could blame Edward, it was _his_ idea, after all. It was finally time to pack my bags and go home. I wouldn't've noticed, except the person next to me tapped me on my shoulder asking me if I was gonna leave or not.

When I got home and started dinner, it hit me. I remembered where I'd seen the name.

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**A/N: Ahhh don't hate me. I know this chapter is kind of stupid, but ehh, it's what I guess you would call a filler. It's there to move some things along and introduce some important members of the story. Tell me what you think. Please don't be rude, but constructive criticism is welcome. It's 9 pages. Sorry I take so long, but I'm just trying to make the wait more worthwhile by giving you more to read between chapters. BTW, I did actually make all their schedules. I actually found classes with the times and teachers on the college website. Most of Alice's, Jasper's, Rosalie's and Emmett's Schedules are from though and honors English is made up. I really am giving these characters lives lol. Anyways, sorry for the long AN, don't forget to R&R, I love you guys! :D**

**-DL**

**P.s. I worked extra hard to make sure it wasn't delayed another day, just letting you know I'm thinking of you readers :D**


	6. Dreams Really Do Come True

**A/N: Oh wow, thanks for all the support on that last chapter. I didn't actually like that one, but to see that you guys did makes me feel better about it. Thanks so much for all the support. I love to see that I'm getting new readers all the time :D I got over 1,500 more hits just from posting that last chapter :) I also have some ideas for some new stories and posted a one-shot about Charlie and Renée so you guys can check that out.**

**P.S. In texts, Bella is plain italic, Edward is bold italic, Alice is underlined plain italic.**

**I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 6: Dreams Really Do Come True**

**BPOV**

The name. Jasper. It was from Alice's matches. Jasper Hale. He was Edward's roommate, and we were going to meet him! Alice would get to meet her match. Hopefully this would go better than the thing with James, then again, everyone would be there to watch out for her and Edward had known him for a while, so I trusted the guy, even though I'd never met him myself. I smiled about the fact that Alice could get to be happy like me, that the site could actually work for her. Then I realized I had been stirring the pasta for too long.

I quickly finished dinner and set it out for Alice and Emmett with a big smile on my face. I had to hide my smile quickly, so as to keep the secret from them. But of course, Alice had to ruin the surprise, a little.

"So, I have this 'feeling' that you're hiding something awesome from me, Miss Bella." Alice said at dinner.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to wait to find out, then won't you?" I said, an evil grin on my face.

"Aww Bella, come on. Pleeeeeeease tell me?? You know I hate not knowing!" Alice said this, whipping out her puppy dog eyes, but I wasn't giving in this time.

"Nope, you're just gonna have to wait...until tomorrow." I said, knowing that she would be perfectly fine knowing it was coming soon.

The rest of dinner went quietly. Once dinner finished, Alice eagerly helped me with the dishes while Emmett turned on the television. When we finished, we went and joined him in the living room. He was watching a romantic movie on Lifetime, called ,"How I Married My High School Crush." It was a okay movie. It was about a girl, who wished she could marry her crush, and a solar eclipse granted the wish and took her 17 years in the future, where she's marrying the guy. Kinda reminded me of a cheesy version of "13 going on 30."

After the movie finished, I decided to head to bed since I had an early shift at the bookstore. Alice went to bed, too, but Emmett decided to stay up longer. That night I dreamt about seeing Edward sit next to me in English, and Alice immediately hitting it off with this Jasper guy. He seemed really nice and it even looked like they were flirting. When I woke up, it was strange, it felt like I was in the wrong place because the dream had felt so real.

I decided to wear a ruffled white shirt and a black tube top corset type thing over it with some black skinny jeans and short black heels. **(outfit in profile).** I put my hair up in a messy bun, doing only some charcoal eyeliner and mascara before heading to the kitchen to grab a cereal bar.

I drove to the bookstore in "Baby Eddie" for my three hour shift. Fridays were always busy since people were already getting started on the weekend. The three hours passed quickly, as I thought about having a class with Edward, as well as, wanting to see Alice's reaction to Jasper being in our class. I got to school early and Alice immediately found me.

"I had a vision!" she exclaimed, while I stood there dumbfounded.

"About what?" I said, confused and wary. Her visions sometimes proved to be troublesome.

"Wellll...I was in a classroom and that Jasper Hale from eHarmony was sitting right next to me! I couldn't see who else was in the class, but I'll recognize the room decorations whenever I take that class. I wonder when it'll be??" She smiled as she said this. I had to hide my own smile in fear of giving away that the class was actually our only class on Fridays.

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket, so I pulled it out to see a text from Edward. It said, _turn around_. I turned around slowly, to find him standing right behind me, holding a single Stokesia Blue Danube. **(picture in profile. They're pretty :D).** He moved my hair behind my ear and gently placed the flower there. Then he lightly kissed my cheek, and whispered in my ear, "You look gorgeous today." I felt my cheeks flush bright red as he intertwined his fingers through mine.

All three of us walked towards the main hall to find the English class. We walked into class and took seats in the middle of the room. I heard Alice gasp beside me.

"Oh...my...Jesus. **(A/N: lol I always say that).** It's this class!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down and clapping her hands in her seat. A few of the people turned around to see what was happening.

Only a minute later, he walked in. Jasper was here. Alice's eyes immediately glazed over when she saw him walk in and a goofy smile filled her petite face. Edward was sitting in front of me and Alice was sitting in the desk to my left. Jasper recognized Edward and went to sit in front of Alice.

Once he sat down he greeted Edward and turned to me.

"Ah, you must be Bella. Edward never shuts up about you." He said in a smooth, calming voice. Edward playfully punched him in the arm.

Then Jasper turned to face Alice.

"And who might you be pretty lady?" he said to her with a hint of a Southern drawl in that same smooth voice.

Her reaction somewhat surprised me. She giggled. She actually giggled. She wasn't the outgoing Alice I had always known. She actually almost seemed shy.

"I'm Alice Brandon." she said giggling again.

He just smiled and took her hand, kissing her knuckles lightly. But as his eyes met hers, he actually looked shocked, or as if something had caught him off guard.

"You're the Alice I tried to contact on that dating site!" he said, seeming almost awed by her very presence. "You look much lovelier in person." he said with a wink.

Alice blushed a little and Jasper turned around to face the front of the class since the teacher had just walked in.

The teacher took roll, while I saw Alice, scribbling quickly and passing a note quickly to Jasper, out of the corner of my eye. I pulled out my phone and started texting Edward.

_What do you think those two are talking about?_

_**Idk. They seem to have hit it off though.**_

_Yeah. Maybe we should just let them be alone already._

_**Nah, we can still get together tonight. Plus that means we can be together and maybe Emmett and Jas's sister will get along.**_

_Okay sounds good._

I felt my phone buzz again, but this time the message was from Alice.

_OMJ. We all have to hang out together._

I smiled and quickly replied.

_We already plan to. Tonight. Dinner at Edward's. Emmett's coming, too._

_Sweet Jesus. This is amazing. Ah, I'm in love! :)_

We got out of class early because we only went over class rules and the syllabus. When we got up to leave, Alice realized how much shorter than Jasper she really was. She only reached up to his mid-bicep. She pouted a little, but quickly hid it as she smiled at Jasper as she said goodbye, and we walked out to our separate cars.

We went home to have some lunch and wait for Emmett to tell him about the night's plans. We decided to go ahead and change into our outfits for dinner. We wanted to stay cute and casual, so we could catch the eyes of our cuties, while staying comfortable.

I decided to keep on my black skinny jeans and threw on a cute gray shirt with various hearts and designs on it, that came with a matching scarf. I set my gray jacket aside for when it was time to leave. **(both girls' outfits on profile).** I touched up my makeup and decided to let my hair fall down in light waves down my back after being in a bun all morning. I topped it off with black flats that had a bow on the top and went to see what Alice had changed into.

She had decided on a blue and white, thin-striped button-up shirt, with a white, lacy camisole underneath and a light blue, jean skirt. She paired it with little, white flats and a thick, white, lacy headband. She had also touched up her makeup and spiked her out just a little. By the time we were both ready, Emmett was home.

We filled him in on the plan, telling him there'd be a cute, single girl there for him. He immediately agreed and went to get cleaned up.

We hung around the house watching television and going on the computer until 5:15 pm, which meant it was time for us to go to Edward's. This was going to be the first time I saw Edward's apartment and actually hung out with his roommates. I hoped I wouldn't make a fool of myself, which I had a habit of doing thanks to my wonderful clumsiness.

We all decided to go in Emmett's car, since he wanted to impress Jasper's sister and Alice and I no longer needed to impress the people we were going to see. I plugged his address, from the small piece of paper he gave it to me on, into the GPS and we were off.

Emmett chuckled, "1901 Maestro Way? How weird is that? Isn't he a music major?"

"Yeah, funny. I never realized how coincidental the address was." I said, shrugging.

We pulled up to the apartment complex at 5:30 pm and went down the hall to apartment number 17. We knocked on the door and a gorgeous, tall, blond woman with startlingly blue eyes, answered the door. I immediately took a knock to my self-esteem, wondering why Edward hadn't picked this, clearly better, girl over me. I heard Emmett move forward and when I looked at him he had a dopey grin on his face.

"Hey Rosalie." he said shyly.

The reserved looking woman in front of us actually smirked a little.

"Hello Emmett." she said in almost a purr-like voice.

It seemed that they already knew each other and Em, apparently had a crush. I quickly whispered the news to Alice, who made a grossed-out face at the idea of her brother actually liking someone.

Rosalie moved out of the way and let us in. Jasper and Edward were sitting on the couch watching an old "Drake and Josh" rerun. I snuck up behind Edward and placed my hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" I whispered in his ear.

"My very beautiful girlfriend?" he said in a sultry voice.

I blushed a little before I answered, "Ding, ding, ding, you win!"

"What's my prize?" he said seductively, as he pulled my hands from his eyes and turned to see me.

Before I could reply, I heard Emmett's booming laughter and saw Alice run to jump on the couch next to Jasper exclaiming, "Ooh I love this one!"

I walked around the couch to sit next to Edward, who immediately pulled me onto his lap.

I blushed a light pink. "So, what's for dinner, Mr. Party Planner?" I asked, like a little kid asking their parents what they got her for Christmas.

"I'm making Parmesan chicken if that's alright." he said curiously.

"You cook?" I said in disbelief. "Not many guys are capable of doing so without burning down kitchens y'know. Just ask Charlie, my dad." I said laughing a little.

He chuckled with me and nodded his head, as he picked me up bridal-style so he could stand up to walk to the kitchen.

"Would you like to help, or stay here and watch television?" He asked before walking off with me.

"Anything that means staying with you." I replied shyly, embarrassed by my own unexpected boldness.

He smiled at me and walked us into the kitchen area of the apartment.

For an apartment, the kitchen was a decent size, with lots of stainless steel appliances and dark cherry wood cupboards. He set me down on a counter stool and walked over to the refrigerator. He pulled out all the ingredients and arranged them near the stove. I walked over to him and we began to make dinner.

Dinner was ready by 6:30 and we all gathered around their large, dining room table. Throughout dinner everyone muttered approval for the dinner between bites and casual conversation picked up. It was easy to see we had all broken off into pairs already. Alice and Jasper were chatting away about Texas and the civil war and apparently, the fashion of the time, from what I could hear. Rosalie and Emmett were talking about their shared class and Emmett's charger. She almost seemed to know more about his car than he did himself. Edward and I mostly talked about my job and how my first few classes had gone. He told me that after dinner he wanted to do something special for me. I wondered what it could possibly be but decided to just wait and see. I knew his surprises couldn't be half as scary as Alice's or Emmett's.

After dinner, we all cleared the dishes together and had a little system working out. I cleared the table, Edward washed the dishes, Rosalie and Emmett dried the dishes, and Alice and Jasper put the clean dishes away.

After dinner, Edward took me to his room. It was the master bedroom on the upstairs portion of the apartment. The apartments in this area all had two stories and some even had roof access. He showed me his room. It was very modern looking, with a black sofa, a simple bed with a black comfortable looking comforter and sheet music covering his large black desk, where his laptop sat. He walked over to the desk, grabbed some papers and took my hand. He led me upstairs to the roof access. On the roof, underneath a gazebo looking object, was a beautiful, sleek, black, baby grand piano. He stood in awe of the instrument as he had me sit on the piano bench beside him.

He placed the papers on the sheet music shelf and placed his fingers on the keys. He began to play one of the most beautiful sounding lullabies I had ever heard. It melted my heart. I leaned my head on his shoulder as he continued to play and sighed in contentment. He was absolutely amazing, and he was all mine.

When he finished the sad sounding end of the piece he lifted my chin and looked deep into my eyes.

"I call it, 'Bella's Lullaby'. I wrote it for you. It just came to me. I poured my emotions of meeting you into that piece," he paused for a moment. "Did you like it?" His green eyes seemed to shimmer with unshed tears as they penetrated through my soul.

"Edward...it was..."was all I managed to get out before I realized how close our faces had gotten during the exchange, and felt his warm lips crash into mine.

His lips moved swiftly with mine. It felt like fire erupted throughout my body, not causing pain, but instead, pure joy. I felt my hands slide around him and slide up his back to tangle my fingers in his hair. He put his hands on my hips and pulled me onto his lap, not breaking the kiss. My breath finally started getting ragged, forcing me to pull away for air. His breathing was ragged to as he leaned his forehead against mine and smiled his dazzling smile.

"Amazing.." I finally finished my sentence once I caught my breath.

He kissed my forehead and got up from the bench. He took my hand and led me back downstairs. When we made it back to the first floor, Alice was sitting next to Jasper on the loveseat and Jasper had his arm casually laid behind her on the couch.

Rosalie and Emmett were nowhere to be found. Edward seemed to realize what I was searching for.

"She must be showing him around. Or maybe they're in the backyard area." he said.

We went to join Alice and Jasper in the living room. Only a moment later, we heard Rosalie's and Emmett's laughter as they came down the stairs. Emmett's shirt was slightly wrinkled and Rosalie's hair was somewhat out of place. My eyes grew wide with the possibilities of what the two could've been up to.

Emmett seemed to realize I was staring and immediately tried to straighten out his shirt. He nudged Rosalie, who tried to flatten out her hair again.

"So, what were you two up to?" Alice asked, never looking away from the television, with a slight smile on her face.

"Uh, well, Rosalie, she got something stuck underneath her bed, so, uh she asked me to, uh get it for her, yeah." Emmett said, seeming to struggle with coming up with a believable story. Rosalie nodded fervently beside him.

Jasper, not looking away from the television, snorted before speaking, "Sure, and I have a pet chihuahua named Rex."

Rosalie blushed and Emmett had a goofy grin plastered on his face. They went into the kitchen and continued to chat away quietly with each other for the rest of our visit. We finally ended up leaving at almost midnight, since Alice was starting to fall asleep, snuggled up to Jasper, unknowingly. Rosalie got up to walk Emmett to the car as Jasper offered to carry Alice out. Edward and I stood from the couch, but didn't move to leave.

"Bella," he paused, as if unsure of what to say once everyone had left us alone. "I'm sorry if I was too forward earlier upstairs. I didn't mean t--"

Before he could continue, I pressed a finger to his lips.

"Shh. You don't have to apologize for anything. I never said I didn't enjoy it." I smiled at him, then replaced my finger with my lips, pressing them lightly to his.

He sighed from relief and wrapped me up in a tight hug.

"Thank you." he said breathlessly, placing a kiss on top of my hair.

"For what?" I asked curiously.

"For choosing me." he said and I smiled, squeezing him tighter.

"I think it's time for me to go. I've kept Emmet and Alice waiting." I said sadly.

He let me go reluctantly, but took my hand and entwined our fingers as he walked me out to the car.

Emmett was sitting in the driver's side with the windows down, talking to Rosalie still, who leaned casually through the window. Alice was buckled up, lying across the back seat and apparently Jasper was talking to her.

I walked over to the car with Edward. He opened the passenger door for me before I could even get my hand on the handle. He lightly kissed me, just before I slid into the seat. Jasper and Rosalie finished up their goodbyes and started to head back into the apartment.

"Goodnight Bella, I'll see you later?" Edward asked.

"Of course. Maybe we can get together tomorrow." I said grinning widely.

"Great." he said smiling his gorgeous crooked grin. I lost my air for a moment and didn't have the time to get it back as he leaned through the window and kissed me one last time before heading inside.

Emmett seemed to be oblivious to what had just happened between us as he had his own huge grin across his face, as he drove us home.

When we pulled up, Alice was able to walk in on her own. She fluttered into the house gracefully. Emmett walked in after me and both headed straight for their rooms.

"Hold up a second. You two have some explaining to do. Especially you." I said pointing at Emmett.

They both stopped dead in their tracks and turned to face me with guilty looks on their faces.

"Whatever do you mean, dearest Bella?" Alice asked innocently.

I laughed once before asking, "What I mean is, what were you four up to while Edward and I were upstairs?"

Alice smirked at me. "Shouldn't we be asking what _you two_ were up to? You guys are the only ones actually going out, _or at least you were._" She mumbled the last half of her sentence.

I blushed lightly. "hat are you trying to hide Miss Alice? Care to share with the rest of the class?" I said smiling at her.

Emmett tried to sneak out by slowly walking backwards.

"Don't move mister. If I'm going down, you're going down," Alice said menacingly to Emmett.

He sighed in defeat and shuffled back over to us.

"Can't we just talk about this in the morning?" he said tiredly.

"Yes, let's. Unless, Bella would you like to go first?" Alice asked in a devious tone.

"Goodnight, Alice, Emmett," I said quickly as I practically ran to my room.

"That's what I thought," I heard Alice say as she headed over to her room.

Emmett sighed in relief and lumbered sleepily towards his bed.

As I laid in bed, in my new purple nightie, I thought about the kiss. That electricity that had jolted through me in that kiss, made me want more of him, but I knew we had to take things slow or we would end up regretting it.

I touched my lips still remembering the warmth of his on mine, and smiled. I wondered what he had thought of the kiss.

He almost seemed to regret it when I had gone to leave. I frowned at the idea, but quickly pushed it away, as I drifted into dreams of kissing Edward Cullen, and so much more. This helped to distract me from the interrogation to come tomorrow.

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**A/N: Ahhh so I finally got it out. It's 8 pages. Sorry, I've been super busy. I started college and it was my boyfriend's 18th birthday on the 6th. Anyways, it's finally here. Don't know how often these'll be coming out. I'm already getting quite a workload, taking 5 classes this semester. Well, hope you guys liked it. Don't forget to R&R! Tell me what you want to see next chapter. It makes me happy :D Oh yeah, and I'm super excited that my 18th birthday is on the 29th of this month :D I'm gonna be legal! Haha. Oh and one last thing, you guys should check on Daddy's Little Cannibal's stories. They're awesome.**


	7. It All Happened Over Coffee

**A/N: Thanks for all the support guys! :D I hope you guys checked out my Sexy Edward Contest Entry and voted for me :D I have some ideas for new stories that you may be seeing here pretty soon, so be sure to have me on author alert if you wanna know when I post new stories! Thanks for being awesome readers! **

**I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 7: It All Happened Over Coffee  
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**BPOV**

The last thing I remembered before waking up, was dreaming about Edward's and my kiss. That dream was shattered as I heard loud laughter around me. I opened my eyes to see Alice clutching her stomach and Emmett rolling on the floor, both laughing hysterically.

I quickly yanked my comforter over my head, knowing I had said something embarrassing while I was sleeping.

"What did I say?" I mumbled against the covers.

Alice laughed even more, "Oh nothing, just a few '_oh Edward_'s." She quoted what I said in a dreamy voice.

I wanted to curl up and die right then of embarrassment.

I slowly slid the covers back down to look at the people I, for some unknown reason, called friends.

I glared at them before I spoke. "So, what are you two doing in my room this early, anyways?" I growled.

"Early??" they both shouted.

"It's 9 o'clock!" Alice said.

"We let you sleep in." Emmett added, smiling as if he had done a good deed.

I just groaned as I got out of bed and stumbled into my bathroom to splash cold water on my face. When I came out, I threw on some pajama shorts and saw that they had left the room. I found them both sitting on the couch staring intently at the television, which was displaying the History Channel.

Something was up.

I went towards the kitchen to start breakfast when I heard my phone buzz. I ran to get it and saw a message from Edward.

_**Wanna get together and go for coffee?**_

Suddenly, I remembered why today was going to suck. It was interrogation day.

_I'll have to check with the others, but maybe around lunch. We all have some morning chores to attend to._ I sent back to him quickly.

_**Sounds great ;)**_ He replied instantaneously.

I smiled at the little smiley on the screen then walked back to the kitchen. I decided to make pancakes topped with strawberries and whip cream to distract them from their questioning.

Once I handed them their plates, they didn't fall for my trap.

"So, Bella, do you want to go first?" Alice asked sweetly.

"Why don't you, since you brought it up." I said, smiling at her.

Emmett just nodded and poked her side to prod the story out of her.

"Ow! Okay, fine. Last night, after you and Edward went upstairs, Emmett, here, left with Roaslie, so just Jasper and I were alone on the couch." she smirked at having told on Emmett before continuing. "About halfway through whatever show we were watching, he turned to me and just stared. It was very odd." she said with a puzzled look from the memory.

I nodded and motioned for her to continue. Emmett moved to the edge of the couch waiting for what she would say next.

"So, anyways, I asked what was up and he just said, 'I didn't realize you'd be so much more beautiful in person.' After that, we just started talking about anything and everything and then I gathered up my courage and asked him out. He said yes, and now we're official. Then I fell asleep on his shoulder." she finished by smiling widely and staring up dreamily at the ceiling.

Emmett sighed next to her, "That wasn't very exciting. So much for getting my hopes up."

"Oh Emmett, not exciting enough? Then, please, do share your more exciting story." I said in a mocking tone.

He blushed. "No guys, it-it's alright. I-I don't need to sh-share," he said stammering.

"Oh, but you do." Alice said with an evil smirk.

He sighed in defeat. "Fine, I'll tell you."

Alice clapped and bounced in her seat excitedly, then she laid her hands neatly on her lap and listened. I just smirked at her behavior.

"Well, Rosalie told me she wanted to show me pictures of her 'baby,' so I went to her room with her. She showed me some pictures of a sweet '68 Mustang that she had been restoring with her dad before he died. We sat on the bed talking about how much she had done and how much she still had left to do. She got me all hot and bothered talking about car parts. Next thing I know, the pictures fell behind the bed. She had me pinned and we were making out. She's an amazing kisser. She does this thing with—"

"Emmett! Eww!" Alice and I interrupted him.

"Okay, that's enough excitement for today." I said, motioning to get up.

"Oh and Edward asked if we want to all meet for coffee in a couple hours." I said trying to distract them.

Again, my plan failed miserably. Alice was always one step ahead. It's like she was psychic.

"Sounds good, but speaking of Edward, what were you two up to last night?" Alice said.

"Yeah, you guys were gone for a while." Emmett added.

"How would you know? You were too bust sucking face with a girl you hardly know!" I said, a bit snappier than I had meant to.

Emmett slouched into the couch and Alice just stared at me menacingly, waiting for me to go on with the story.

"Okay, okay. When we went upstairs, he showed me him room and there was sheet music everywhere. He grabbed a couple of them, then said he wanted to show me something. He took me to the roof and a beautiful, baby grand piano was there. He sat down and played a song that he wrote, _for me._" I said putting emphasis on the last part.

Alice sighed with a goofy grin and glazed eyes.

"So after he finished playing, we kissed, _just a normal kiss_, and went back downstairs." I finished, not wanting to go into detail about the most amazing kiss of my life.

Emmett looked bored, but Alice looked overjoyed for me.

"Awww, our little Bella is growing up so fast!" she said, wiping away pretend tears of joy.

I lightly punched her shoulder, laughing.

"Oh, shut up, Alice. Now let's go get ready to meet with everyone at Starbucks." I said smiling and running off to my room.

I heard Alice and Emmett scurry off to their rooms to get ready.

I took a short shower and got ready quickly., throwing on a white button up and some dark skinny jeans. I decided on light makeup and a quick blow-dry of my hair. I slipped on my black flats and went to see if the other two were ready.

I saw Alice running around her room looking for her shoes and Emmett digging through his drawers for a suitable shirt.

Since I was done first, I decided we were taking my car. Before I could even announce that plan, Alice screamed out "shotgun!" from her room. She walked out of her room towards me, smiling.

"I had a feeling you'd be driving, so I decided to stake my claim." She said sheepishly.

I heard Emmett groan as he walked out of his room struggling to get his shirt on the right way.

"Totally unfair. It's like she's psychic or something." he pouted.

"Of course I am silly." she said grinning wildly at him.

When they were both ready to go, I grabbed my keys and small purse and headed to the car.

We arrived at Starbucks only a moment later and I parked in between Edward's Volvo and a bright red BMW M3.

"Wow, nice!" Emmett said staring at the ostentatious car.

I pulled him along by his arm so we could get inside.

I walked straight over to Edward at his table with Rosalie and Jasper. Emmett was practically walking backwards, just so he could continue staring at the car.

"Dude! Did you guys see that car?" Emmett asked them as he sat down.

"Of course I saw it, I own it." Rosalie simply stated.

Emmett's jaw dropped, "Th-that's yours? What about that sweet Mustang?"

"Oh. That's at home." she replied with a smirk.

To break up the car love-fest, Edward spoke up.

"So, shall we actually order something from here?" he said smiling a crooked grin towards me.

I blushed and looked down as I nodded in agreement.

We all walked up to the counter to take our orders. A tall guy, about our age, with curly brown hair and square-rimmed glasses, was standing behind the register looking bored as hell.

When we approached he spoke without even looking up from the paper he was fidgeting with.

"What can I get for you?" the boy, whose name tag read "Stefan," said.

Edward looked to me to order first.

"Oh, well, I'll have a grande Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha." I said.

"Okay, your na—" he said finally looking up. He cut himself off when he got a good look at all of us.

"Her name is Bella." Edward said politely, breaking Stefan's trance. He smiled at him and went on to order, "I'll have a grande Caramel Macchiato, for Edward. There are four more orders."

He stepped back to let Rosalie and Emmett get to the front to order. As soon as Stefan saw Rosalie, he practically started drooling on his register, but then he caught sight of Emmett's arm around Rosalie's waist and snapped his mouth shut.

Stefan took all the orders and then prattled off our order to check if it was right and gave us the total. I started digging through my purse to pull out a five dollar bill, but Edward stopped me and walked to the cash register with his ATM. He paid for all the drinks and we all sat at our table waiting for our drinks.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a very familiar face. I turned to see who it was and was pleasantly surprised. It was Angela Weber and her boyfriend, Ben Cheney. They had gone to school with Alice, Emmett, and me, back in Forks. She had been one of my other best friends. Apparently she had caught sight of me, as well, since she looked over and waved as she go out of her seat to come talk to me. Ben followed close behind.

"Hey Bella! Oh my gosh, Emmett, Alice! How are all of you guys? Who is everybody else?" She said looking at my hand in Edward's. She smiled down at me so I stood up to give her a hug.

"This is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen," I said gesturing to him and he stuck out his hand to shake hers. "And those are his roommates, Jasper and Rosalie Hale. They're twins."

Jasper got up to shake her hand, while Rosalie simply nodded at her and waved.

"Nice to meet everybody. I'm Angela Weber and this is my fiancé Ben Cheney." She said smiling widely.

Alice started clapping like mad and bouncing in her chair.

"Awww, I always knew you guys would end up together! I'm so happy for you guys!" Alice said to them, smiling like crazy. Angela just blushed.

"Why don't you guys pull up some chairs and catch us up on your lives." Emmett said, chuckling.

Angela and Ben sat down in between Alice and me. Angela decided to fill the others in on how we had gone to school together and when we all had met and how Ben and her had started going out.

"So, here we are now, two and a half years later and engaged. We're having the wedding in three years. We wanted to finish college first, but we just wanted to sort of stake a claim on each other, so to speak. He has a silver band to show that he's mine, too." She blushed again and showed us her ring. It was gorgeous, who knew Ben had the money.

"So Ang, what's the four-one-one. Have you seen anybody else from high school? Do you still hang out with anyone?" Alice fired off questions.

"Well, actually, I just saw Jessica, Mike, and Lauren last month at Jessica's birthday party. Jessica got so ticked at Mike. She caught him making out with Lauren, in her own room. Needless to say, Mike had a five finger red mark on his face and Jessica poured her red punch on Lauren's new white blouse before she kicked them both out. Mike and Jessica had been going out at the time. After that he joined some dating site that's always advertised on t.v." She said looking thoughtful.

"eHarmony?" I asked meekly.

"Yeah! That's the one! Wait, how'd you know?" Angela asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, uh, that's how Edward and I met. Alice and Jasper were on the site, too, but they met in Honors English class." I said, blushing.

Angela just chuckled a bit. "Well it's good to see the site works for some people, who deserve it." she said winking at me.

Alice smiled, then suddenly she gasped. We all turned to see what was going on.

"I have an idea! Speaking of birthdays and parties, Bella, your birthday is next Saturday! Let's have a party! I mean, we're in college, we have our own house, it could be fun! Oh, and of course, I'd get to decorate!" Alice chirped.

I groaned. "Alice, please no. I hate parties. Can't we just pretend I'm not growing up?" I said, sighing.

"Actually, that sounds like a fun idea." Edward said next to me. _Traitor._

Soon, the whole table agreed to the plan and they set on trying to agree on a theme. I heard things from masquerade, to casino theme, to vampire theme, to, even Barbie theme. That last one made me shudder. I had never really been into Barbies, unless I was cutting their hair or dying it with Kool-aid. Once I made a Barbie-sized pillow and bedspread, but then I just went back to my Hot Wheels.

I was snapped out of my childhood memories by the sound of clapping and squeals from Alice. Apparently they had decided on a theme for my birthday.

"Okay, Bella. Since you like old fashioned things, we've all agreed on an old-fashioned Hollywood costume party! What do you think?" Alice said excitedly.

"Actually, that doesn't sound too bad, so just us eight together then?" I asked, hoping her answer would be yes, but doubting it completely.

"No, you silly, anyone and everyone is invited. In fact, let's invite our lovely barista, what was his name, Stephen, Stefan, whatever. I'm gonna go invite him. It looks like he could use more excitement in his life instead of just video games." She said.

"What's wrong with video games?" Emmett said chuckling. Edward and Jasper high-five'd him.

Alice just glared at them as she got out of her seat and made her way over to the counter.

I could hear their conversation from where I was sitting. I looked to see what was going to happen, hoping he would turn down the invitation.

"Hello there," she paused to re-read his name tag. "Stefan. How would you like to come to a birthday party for my friend Bella over there?" She said smiling and pointing at me.

I waved meekly then looked down blushing and trying to hide in Edward's sweater.

"Uh, I don't know. I might have work. I'd have to request it off two weeks in advance." He said, not sure how to respond to the outgoing little pixie.

"That can be settled, may I speak with your manager?" she asked politely, batting her eyelashes at the boy, who grinned stupidly, while nodding and leaving the counter.

He came back a minute later with a girl that was about the same age as him, about five feet six inches with rosy cheeks and brown wavy hair.

"Hello, I'm the manager here, Izizia, but you can call me Izzy. Can I help you?" the girl asked politely.

"Yes, actually you can. You see, this young man is invited to a party for my dear friend over there and we feel that he should make sure he gets the night off. Is that possible?" Alice tried her puppy dog eyes on the girl and, of course, they worked. Alice always gets her way.

I heard her thank the girl, as she made her way back over to the table next to Jasper. Well now that that's settled, we need to get invitations out and make sure we tell all the people we graduated with, too.

"Oh, come on, is that really necessary? Not all of them, please?" I asked hoping to sway her decision.

"Fine. But at least Mike, Jessica, and Lauren are invited. Mostly because they can provide entertainment." She said smiling wickedly.

I had to agree with her. With as much drama those three could cause, no one would get bored at this God-forsaken party that was being thrown for me, much against my pleas and bargaining. The least I could do was nod my head and go along with it, just like I had with the hundreds of Bella dress-up days and beauty sleepovers.

Now came for the somewhat exciting part. Deciding what old Hollywood icons we would portray at the party. We also had to decide whether or not we would be wearing small Zorro-size masks, what we would be eating, and how we were going to decorate. This all boiled down to one thing.

Alice taking us all shopping. _Oh, the horror._

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**A/N: So what do I do for my 18th birthday last night? Go to dinner, watch Heroes and work on finishing this chapter. So here it is my lovely readers. Hope you liked it. If you guys wanna see a picture of Angela's ring, I'll post it if I get enough requests for it. If not, I'll just send you the link in a PM. Thanks for reading! Btw, Stefan in here is a guest appearance by my boyfriend. He asked to be in the story. Izizia is my BFF and I put her in just because :D Don't forget to R&R! Oh and check out The Ring by Nollie Marie! It's in my favorites. And last but not least, please vote for my Sexy Edward Contest entry on Jayeliwood's profile poll! :D**

**-DL**


	8. Surprise, Surprise

**A/N: It's great to see so many new readers and the continuing supporters of this story. It makes me happy to keep writing this story for you guys and myself. Keep on reading :D I'm really sorry about the wait. I'll explain in the a/n at the end. Oh and be expecting some new stories to come out, so make sure to author alert :D**

**I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 8: Surprise, Surprise**

**BPOV**

Alice managed to find a way to get all of us to go with her to the party stores for supplies, then it was time to go to costume stores and thrift stores to find our outfits. We had all decided on who we would be portraying at my old-fashioned Hollywood party. Even the barista at Starbucks and a couple other random people Alice had decided to just invite, had figured out who they would be.

I had chosen the lovely Sally Blane. She had been in over 70 films from the time she was 7 to her death in 1997. She was most famous for being in the movie "I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang," which won an Academy Award. She was also famous for being related to the famous Loretta Young, who was equally as gorgeous. I loved researching old movies and actresses, which actually made my birthday seem somewhat exciting.

I wondered who everyone else had chosen to portray and how well they would pull it off. I'm sure whoever Edward, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper chose, they would make the old Hollywood icons look even more amazing than they had been in their time.

I decided that since we would be playing old Hollywood icons, we should dress up in old-Hollywood outfits, much like we were going to the Academy Awards or the Emmy's. We were looking at Google for what the actors and actresses used to wear to such events. During this research time, I found out who everyone was going to be.

We were all huddled around the table in the upstairs office on our laptops, researching our people. The table was also covered in snacks and sodas.

Alice was going to be the young and beautiful, Elizabeth Taylor. She had the perfect eyes for the part. Alice was drawn to Elizabeth Taylor because of her definite material excess and the fact that she had starred in a movie alongside Montgomery Clift. This was the real seller for her, since Jasper was going to be the dashing, Montgomery Clift. Alice was a very lucky girl to have snagged him, but she would be fighting off the girls all night long at the party.

Clift was famous for being young and successful. Jasper was much the same in that he had designed his parents current home at the age of 15. The blueprint for the house had astounded the building company and they said he could work for them once he graduated college. So, now he was at college, getting his degree in architectural design.

Rosalie was going to be Carole Landis. She didn't want to be Marilyn Monroe because she felt it was expected of her. Landis was famous for her chest as that had been her given nickname. She was tall, lean, and glamorous, just like Rosalie. Another thing she learned about the girl is that they shared the same middle name, Lillian.

Emmett had also found the perfect role in Marlon Brando. He had been a sex symbol in his time, known for his physique and good looks. Emmett also just wanted to say that he was "The Godfather," even though by the time Brando played "The Godfather," he had definitely lost his physique and looks.

Finally, there was Edward. Edward was going to be John Garfield. From the way Rosalie and Jasper made fun of him, the part seemed perfect. Edward had been a very brooding and do-what-he-wants-type of guy before me, which is exactly what Garfield had been. Edward had also been more of a supporting role to his friends.

Garfield had started as a supporting actor, but eventually made it to leading roles and even went on to producing instead of acting. Jasper and Rosalie, well, mostly Jasper, felt that with me, he was finally making it to the spotlight and would succeed in composing his music, instead of just playing it.

Once we found out what we were all going to wear, we set a day to go searching for the clothes at thrift stores and costume shops. It was almost eight at night, so we ordered a pizza and watched some movies. Everyone moved to leave at about eleven, except Edward.

"Will you stay tonight?" I asked him, a slight blush tinging my cheeks.

"If you want me to, of course." He said smiling as he tipped my chin up and gave me a sweet kiss.

"Thanks." I said, smiling back.

Jasper and Rosalie left in Rosalie's car and went back to the apartment. Edward and I got ready for bed, since I had work in the morning.

I changed into a nice, lacy black nightie with a dangerously low v-neck. **(picture in profile).** Edward borrowed some pajama pants that were a little too big, from Emmett. I walked out of the bathroom and found Edward folding his clothes up at the end of the bed, shirtless. My breathing hitched. When he straightened up, the pajama pants fell dangerously low on his hips, so that I could see the delicious 'V' leading down to his forbidden area. I had to keep myself from drooling.

When he caught sight of me in the doorway, his eyes glazed over and I blushed at the way his eyes raked over my fairly exposed body. I quickly ran to the bed and threw myself under the covers.

That seemed to bring him out of his shock and a crooked grin covered his face, as he launched himself on the bed, next to me.

"Oh, you think you can just do that and get away with it?" he said, his eyes lustful.

"Do what?" I said, confused as to what he meant and this new, growing emotion in his stare.

"Hide your beautiful self from me under these blankets!" he said as a devilish grin took over my favorite, crooked one.

"What are you—" I was interrupted by him, attacking me.

I let out a squeal as he jumped on me, so that he was straddling me, and placed sweet kisses all over my face and neck. I started to giggle when he kissed my neck. He pulled back the covers and stopped his assault on my face and looked me over.

He smiled, "You are too beautiful for your own good."

I blushed crimson and he placed one more sweet kiss on my lips as he disentangled himself from me and snuggled into my side. I absentmindedly began rubbing my fingertips up and down his arm.

"Mm, that feels amazing." he whispered contentedly, as his eyes slid shut.

I smiled down at him, taking in how peaceful and gorgeous he looked without a shirt on. I longed to feel the taut muscles of his chest and torso.

I pulled my eyes back up to his face and saw the deep bags under his eyes. I stopped tracing his arm to trace the purple bruise-like shadows.

"I don't normally sleep much..." he trailed off, startling me, as I had thought he was already asleep.

"Oh," was all I could come up with.

I scooted down lower, wrapping my arms across his chest, and placed my legs between his. I laid my head on his shoulder and soon fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

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I woke up warm and comfortable. I opened my eyes to see I was still holding Edward. I tried carefully to get out of his hold without waking him, so I could get ready for work.

He stirred slightly, but quickly took hold of my pillow and inhaled deeply. I cocked my head to the side at his strange behavior, but just shrugged it off and made my way to the bathroom.

I took a quick shower and threw on my work clothes. I was out the door in twenty minutes and made it to work by 9:45. My shift started at ten and ended at four in the afternoon.

It was only a six hour shift, so it wouldn't be too terrible. Plus, on Sundays, we had a high rise of people coming in to buy religious books. It always made me laugh to myself, that they were buying the books on Sunday, usually during the time they should be at their church. If I was ever bored, I just asked them why they weren't at church instead, and most of them stuttered over their responses, searching for a decent lie.

Every now and then, we'd get a cocky one, who was able to reply to my question easily and without hesitation, always giving me an evil look afterward. To make myself feel better that they were attempting to ruin my day, I usually stuck my tongue out at them behind their backs.

The shift passed quickly, as did the next couple days. Before I knew it, it was Wednesday, which meant time to go shopping for supplies, decorations, and costumes. Alice and I left right after class to get a head start. Rosalie wouldn't be out until almost three and the boys weren't out till after six.

We found a party store and found the aisle marked "Hollywood." Alice filled the cart with tons of decorations of various shapes, sizes, and colors. We decided to look through their costume section, as well, but couldn't find anything for our characters. We figured we'd have our best bet at a thrift store or Hollywood memorabilia shop. We rang up our purchases and headed to the next stop.

Rosalie met us at the costume shop and we scoured the rows upon rows of costumes. She was able to find her costume within minutes. Carole Landis had been somewhat famous, so they actually had a dress quite similar to one we had seen in one of her photo shoot pictures.

The dress was long and white with long sleeves covered in lace. It was beautiful and flowing. **(picture in profile).** After we rung up Rosalie's dress, we headed over to a cake shop to put an order in for my cake. It was supposed to be a white cake half sheet, with an 8" round on top decorated like a roll of film. The film strip was supposed to have pictures of old Hollywood icons so Alice handed over a flash drive that held the needed pictures. **(picture of cake on profile).**

Once that was set up, we were still on the search for a cute dress for Alice and me. We decided to try the thrift store next because we figured it would be our best bet for vintage dresses. This store gave me the jackpot. I found five dresses to pick from and tried them on for the others to judge.

The first was a maroon-colored velveteen dress, floor-length with thick straps and a ruffle along the top. **(pictures of all girls' dresses in profile). **Alice stuck her tongue out at it and Rosalie immediately waved it away.

Next, I tried on a sheer black dress with lines of ruffles along the skirt and a slight V-neck. I put on a lacy black slip underneath. Rosalie stifled a laugh, while Alice simply cocked her head to the side. She just shrugged so I went to go put on the next one.

I put on a black dress that had gold lace flower patterns all over it. It was nice and elegant, but I wasn't sure it fit the occasion. Alice shook her head no, but Rosalie couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Oh my gosh, you look like a grandma!" Rosalie said, as she started to laugh.

I just sulked back into the dressing room and put on one of my favorites of the stack. I went back out in a powder blue ball gown that rouched at the chest. It looked like an old fashioned Cinderella dress and I felt like an old Disney princess. It was absolutely gorgeous. Alice's eyes lit up and Rosalie smirked.

"Oh my, that would be perfect, except it doesn't fit your time zone. That's more late '40s." Alice frowned as she said it.

Rosalie just inspected her nails.

This left only one more choice before I was forced to look through yet another store. I went back into the dressing room and tried on the last dress, feeling defeated. That blue one had been my favorite. I tried on the last one and it actually looked cute and simple, just like I liked it. I came out and modeled it for them.

This time Rosalie's eyes lit up and Alice started clapping wildly, as she jumped up and down.

"Perfect! It looks amazing on you! Edward won't be able to keep his hands off of you!" Alice squealed as she tackled me in a tight hug.

I nearly lost my balance, but caught myself on the dressing room door. I started to daydream about what it would be like for Edward to not keep his hands off of me. What a birthday present that would be. I felt the goofy grin start to spread on my face, so I fought it to avoid questioning.

We took the dress to the register and checked out. We decided it was time to try the memorabilia store next since they would most likely have tons of things about Elizabeth Taylor and the '50s.

We only had an hour and a half until the boys were out of class, so we needed to get Alice's dress quickly so that we could keep all the dresses a surprise.

The store had a few dresses, but none of them caught her eye. We grabbed some extra standees and wall decorations and then left for another vintage store down the block.

When we went in, it was like Alice had died and gone to 1950s dress heaven. She ran through the store grabbing tons of dresses. Occasionally she would run out of arm room and would throw some to Rosalie or me. By the time she went into the dressing room, she had _eleven_ dresses. This was going to take forever.

She tried on the first one for us, which was a tight black number with a big bow and some tulle in the back. Rosalie and I just gave her the so-so sign. She slumped her tiny shoulders and went back inside the room.

The next one was a faded pink color, and looked like it had a built-in Victorian petticoat. Rosalie made a sound like she was throwing up and I just shook my head.

The third was actually really cute. It was a 'V'-neck and had roses all along the bottom. It was white with gray along the neck line and chunks on the bottom. She twirled it for us and Rosalie smiled at her.

"Set it aside so we can see if there's anything better, but that's definitely my favorite so far," I said smiling at her.

She placed it on the hook outside her door and went to put on the next one. This one was cute too. It had a double skirt and a cute bow in the chest area. It was covered in a strange flowery pattern, but the double skirt, made it look too bulky on her. Alice agreed with us and hurried to try on the next one. She knew we were still on a time limit.

The next one made me wish my character had been from the '50s. It was a gorgeous midnight blue, with black lace overlay. I fell in love with it.

"Oh my gosh Alice, it's gorgeous!" I exclaimed, blushing at my own outburst.

"It's really cute, but I just don't feel it's _me_." She replied nonchalantly.

She glided back into the room for yet another dress change. This dress was a muted pink mermaid-style dress. I told her to add it to the keep pile. She agreed and quickly changed into the next one. Rosalie didn't seem like she had much to say. I saw her texting most of the time, most likely to Emmett.

The next dress, was _huge_. Alice had a hard time making it out the tiny dressing room door so she could show it off. It was full of tulle with what looked like little polka dots within the skirt. It was cute, but it almost seemed to envelope Alice into its darkness.

Rosalie finally decided to speak up, "Alice? Where are you Alice? I can't find you. All I can see is this huge walking dress!" she said, starting to laugh, as Alice glared at her and squished her way back into the dressing room.

The next one made me wish even more that my girl was from the '50s instead of the boring '30s. It was a turquoise flare dress covered in black lace with a thick black scrunched ribbon around the waist.

"Ooh, ooh! Can we keep it Alice?" I said jumping up and down and running my hand over it like it was a puppy.

Alice just chuckled and added it to the possibilities pile.

The next one was similar to the last one except it was pink with a white ribbon. We all agreed it just wasn't right and it was quickly tossed aside for the next one to take its place.

We were down to the last three, but we only had about a half hour until the boys were to meet us, so we had to make a decision quick.

The next one was a baby pink princess-style dress that again made it difficult for Alice to get out of the dressing room.

"Aww man. I love this dress, but it would take away from Bella, and I don't want to outshine her on her birthday." Alice said out loud.

"Alice, anything you wear will outshine me. You're beautiful _and_ you picked the amazing Elizabeth Taylor." I said.

"Bella, Bella, when will you ever look at yourself clearly," she shook her head before continuing. "Oh well, next."

She went back in and put on a much darker dress. It was a black velvet torso with gray tulle coming out of the top and making up the entire skirt. It was really cute, but wasn't 'Alice-y' enough.

"It's just not _you_." Rosalie said.

"That's what I was gonna say." I said looking at Rosalie and nodding.

"Well, fine. But this is the last dress, so this is our last chance to be wow'd or find the perfect dress for me." Alice said as she skipped back into the dressing room, one last time.

The last dress just screamed perfect. It seemed just like something Alice would wear, as well as, something that Elizabeth Taylor herself would wear. It was black, with off the shoulder sleeves. It was mermaid-style with layers of ruffles along the bottom of the skirt. It beat all the dresses, in my opinion.

"Ding, ding, ding, winner!" Rosalie said, smiling widely, as Alice twirled to show us the whole dress.

"Totally! It's perfect!" I said grinning.

Alice smiled and started clapping.

"Alright girls, we're done, time to meet the boys!" Alice said as she gathered the dresses and set them on the outside rack. She sent Rosalie and me to look at shoes for our dresses while she rang up her dress.

We searched through the few rows of shoes but couldn't find anything cute. We decided we would just try Payless for shoes later. When we met Alice at the door, she was carrying three dress bags.

"Alice." I said in my motherly tone, "Why do you have three bags?"

"Well, I just wanted to make sure and keep, uh, my options open." She said smiling devilishly as we hurried to our cars.

I just groaned and got in the car. We made our way back to the first costume shop, where the boys were standing outside waiting for us.

"Hel-lo Ladies" Emmett said, trying to act smooth.

Rosalie actually seemed to blush and walked up and gave him a kiss.

I made my way over to Edward and slinked my arms around his waist. He put his arms around me and placed a kiss on my hair.

"Are we ready then?" Jasper spoke up as he grabbed Alice's hand and made his way towards the store.

We all followed, Emmett holding Rosalie's hand and Edward wrapping his arm around my waist, keeping me close to his side.

Apparently, earlier in the week, Rosalie and Emmett had become official and were now dating. It was nice to see Emmett so happy, but it was awkward, being that they took every opportunity to sneak off somewhere and make-out.

We made our way to the back of the store where the men's costumes were. They had tons of gangster costumes, which would be perfect for Edward's time period. We found him an all black suit quickly. He tried it on for us and I about melted to the floor. I was ready to pounce, but before I could move, he was back in the room changing back into his clothes. I could only imagine what he looked like in there.

Next we searched in the aisle dedicated to the '50s, for Jasper. Alice was picky on what her guy could wear, but when he found a black, vintage tuxedo that he found suitable for the occasion, he easily swayed her opinion. It was like he could control her emotions. They truly were meant for one another.

Last, but certainly not least, was Emmett. The only problem we found with Emmett, was trying to find a suit that could fit his large upper body. We ended up having to mix and match, getting some gray tuxedo pants and a dark gray jacket. Rosalie didn't seem to mind and Emmett was just excited about dressing up.

We were finally done shopping so we decided it was time to go home.

We all went back to our house for dinner and to drop off everything we had bought at all the stores. Everyone would be getting ready for the party there anyways.

After dinner was over and we had watched some television, everyone said there goodbyes and I went to bed exhausted, even though it was only ten.

The next few days passed quickly with many whispers and secrets in the house and even with the others. I figured it had to do with secret party planning. I had already warned them not to get me gifts. Alice was lucky enough I agreed to the party.

Before I knew it, it was my birthday. I woke up to Edward putting a tray of breakfast food on my lap as he kissed me good morning. I smiled at him, as I looked at the food before me. It was blueberry pancakes, eggs and bacon, with a cup of apple juice. There was also a little note next to the plate.

I opened it up and read it. It was written in beautiful script.

_Happy Birthday, my beautiful Bella.  
__I hope to spend the rest of them with you, as well.  
Love, Edward_

I felt my eyes start to well up with tears of happiness as I reached over to try and hug him.

"This is too much Edward. Thank you so much." I said, trying to hold back my tears, as he rubbed soothing circles on my back.

"Anything for you, my Bella. Happy birthday." he said, as he reluctantly let go to grab his own plate of food from the kitchen.

He returned and took a spot next to me on the bed. It was quiet in the rest of the house, which automatically made me suspicious.

"Why is it so quiet? Is everyone still sleeping or something?" I asked him with a puzzled look.

He chuckled softly, "No, they wanted to give us the morning alone, while they went to go get the food and confirm who was coming."

"Oh." I said, returning to my untouched breakfast.

We ate in a comfortable silence, often meeting eyes between bites, which made me blush.

Once we finished, he put the dishes in the sink and came back to my room. He scooted next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I leaned my head against him, reveling in the warmth and comfort he exuded.

"What would you like to do for the rest of the morning?" he asked as he tipped my chin up to look at him.

_I could think of a few things I'd like to do_, I thought to myself, making myself blush. He stared intently at me, curiosity in his eyes about my curious reaction.

Suddenly, he seemed to understand what I had meant and a crooked grin appeared. He leaned in and placed a warm, soft kiss on my lips. I immediately tangled my fingers in his hair and he pulled me closer to him. I felt his tongue trace my lip and I happily granted access. Our tongues danced and I found that his taste was just as amazing as the rest of him.

I moaned into his mouth, as our tongues danced. I felt my breathing become ragged and knew we would have to stop for air soon, but I kept kissing him until he finally pulled away.

"That was amazing. I've been dying to try that." He said out-of-breath and smiling.

"Me too." I replied sheepishly.

We laid there for a while, drinking in the moment, until finally I realized I had to get ready for my birthday party.

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We were ready to within a few hours, with only an hour and a half until the party. Alice and the rest of the gang had just called saying they were on their way back.

When she showed up, I noticed she had already done her hair and make-up like she knew she wouldn't have much time to get ready. Rosalie's hair and make-up was done, as well. How long does it take to get food?

I was sitting in my dress on the couch next to Edward who was already in his suit and a matching fedora. He seemed jittery sitting next to me, like something was on his mind.

Alice quickly walked over to me and pulled me off the couch, dragging me to her bathroom, with Rosalie following close behind.

"So how was your morning with Edward?" Alice asked as she started pulling on my hair with a comb.

"Ow-fine. Ouch!" I squeaked as she pulled through a particularly difficult tangle.

I then recounted the morning's events and had to hide my smile. Alice missed it, but Rosalie didn't. She decided to smirk at me when I met her gaze, knowing I'd been caught, but she didn't speak up. I guessed she was saving it for a rainy day, which could be everyday, thanks to Seattle's _lovely_ weather.

She finished her slow torture on my face and hair and stepped back so I could see the damage. I actually looked a lot like the girl I had picked. She had given my tight waves and some black eyeliner for make-up. She had also decided to attach a few individual fake lashes, to make my eyelashes seem thicker. I smiled at Alice and moved to get out of the bathroom and back to Edward.

"Where do you think you're going miss? You gotta help us into our dresses." She said smiling widely and pointing to the dresses on her bed.

I shrugged and helped them zip up their dresses. Finally it seemed we were all ready.

"Um Alice, where exactly is this party going to be? None of the decorations are up..." I trailed off confused.

"You silly, silly girl. That's a surprise, but it's not here, as you can obviously see." She said gesturing to the plain living room.

The boys met us in the main hall and we made our way to the cars. Edward and I took his Volvo and followed Rosalie's bright red car to our unknown destination.

We pulled up to a tall hotel and parked. When we got inside, Alice led us to a large conference room that was filled with all the various decorations we had bought. It looked wonderful, but it almost reminded me of an old high school dance that you see in the movies. I giggled at the thought and Edward looked to me questioningly. I just shook my head and made my way around the room, taking in all the wonderful decorations and food choices.

Minutes later, more people began to show up, pouring in dressed in old-style dresses and looking like old movie stars. It almost made me giddy trying to guess who was playing who.

Alice had been smart enough to put name tags by the front door with a black sharpie so people could write who they were portraying and then their name underneath.

I saw a classic Marilyn Monroe, Marion Davies, Audrey Hepburn, Charlie Chaplin, Bette Davis, Gene Kelly, Lloyd Hughes, Loretta Young, and so many more. Wait, how many people had Alice invited?

The question was pushed out of my head when I saw Angela and Ben walk in dressed as Ella Raines and Buster Keaton. Ben had on a black suit with a long-tailed coat and a gray vest. Angela had on a cute, yet simple gray number that had black cuffs and buttons down the left side of the chest. It looked amazing on her.

She caught sight of us and made her way over.

"Wow, this looks amazing! You guys did an awesome job." she said to Alice and the rest, then she turned to me. "Happy Birthday Bella! You look gorgeous! I love that dress." She said smiling, as she hugged me.

I whispered my thanks and she went off to look around the rest of the room. Next to come in was the barista from Starbucks, Stefan or something was his name. He was dressed as Clark Gable. He wandered around confused, so I drew my attention back to the new people flooding in.

I saw Jessica walk in followed by Mike and Lauren. This was going to be a fun night. They saw us and Lauren sneered at me as she tried to scoot closer to Mike without Jessica noticing. Apparently, Mike was Max Linder, Jessica as Margaret Lindsay, and Lauren was Lauren Bacall. Lauren definitely pulled off Bacall's mean look. Jessica's dress was a black velvet, floor-length gown with a maroon diamond covering the left side. Lauren's was a black, sparkling, knee-length dress with a built-in bolero. It was cute, although I hated to admit it.

The next people actually had me confused, yet terrified and I hadn't even met them. The girl had brilliant red hair and cat-like features. She was wearing black laced dress with hot pink lining for the straps and the top of the dress. There was a hot pink flower in the top center, as well. When she got closer, Alice seemed to recognize her and smiled at her until she saw her date who was filling out his name tag.

Before I could even register the mysterious girl's name, I felt my body tense and my blood leave my face. James was her, at my party, near Alice. This would be trouble. He leaned up and caught Alice and me gaping at him. A sly smile crossed his face, as he made his way over to his date.

"Lovely party, Alice." he spoke in a smooth tone that made me cringe.

"Y-yeah. You're here wi-with Victoria?" she said, trying to keep calm.

"Yes, this is my girlfriend, Victoria Wells." he said.

The girl didn't move, she only nodded before throwing a sharp glance at Edward. Edward only tightened his grip on my waist and pulled me back slightly, as if to protect me. I got to see that Victoria was playing a mean-looking Carole Lombard and James was supposed to be the moody, Warren Beatty.

When the silence was becoming awkward, Emmett spoke up in a gruff tone.

"Well why don't you two join the other guests and enjoy the party." he said, ending their stay near us.

James nodded curtly at Emmett and walked over to the other side of the room to the beverages. By the time the last people had come inside, there were probably thirty people at the party, and I only knew less than half of them.

"Alice, why is he here and who is that girl?" I asked Alice after I pulled her aside from Emmett telling everyone a funny story from his childhood.

"I don't know why he's here. I didn't know she was his girlfriend. I just invited her when I was buying my dress." she said sounding guilty and somewhat scared.

"Well, I don't think they'll do anything, but they sure are creepy." I said, shuddering as I said it.

We made it back to the group just in time to hear Emmett talking about how I had tripped and fallen into his cake at his sweet sixteen. I wished I could've run away.

The rest of the night went smoothly with some music, dancing, and eating. At one point, my dress kept slipping off my shoulder from being so sweaty, attempting to dance. I had to go look for Edward since I had lost him on the dance floor. He had been acting somewhat strange all night. I figured it was because of James and Victoria's presence after I had told him the James incident.

I found him in one of the corners of the room. He was facing away holding one of the black helium-filled balloons and he seemed to be talking to himself.

When I got closer, I could start to hear what he was saying.

"You can do it. Just gotta stay under control. You can do it." he repeated that last sentence to himself in an unrecognizable high, squeaky voice.

"Edward?" I called to him, tentatively, not wanting to disturb him with whatever was going on.

He turned around quickly, meeting my gaze with wide eyes.

"Uh-oh." he said in that same squeaky voice and quickly hid the slowly shrinking helium balloon.

I put two and two together and realized he had been sucking on the helium. I started giggling. No wonder he sounded so funny. He blushed a deep crimson and cast his eyes downward. I stepped closer to him and tipped his chin up so I could look him in the eye and figure out what was wrong.

"Edward..are you okay?" I said fighting more giggles. He simply nodded, avoiding speaking again.

"What's going on?" I asked him as I brushed my thumb across his cheek.

His eyes met mine and he looked almost guilty.

"Bella." he said in that squeaky voice, making him curse under his breath.

He sighed a squeaky sigh and seemed to take deep breaths to clear the helium. He held up his finger to stop me when I opened my mouth to speak again.

"Sometimes...I get nervous. I-I am really, _really_, trying to control myself, but it is becoming exceedingly difficult." He seemed to struggle for words uncharacteristically,

"It's just that with you, and that dress falling off—"

"Listen, if this is about James being at the party—"

We both spoke at the same time.

"Wait, what?" we both said.

"This has nothing to do with James." he said giving me a look like I was crazy.

"What's this have to do with me?" I asked incredulously.

"I—Well, I just don't know if I'm going to be able to keep my hands off of you much longer, so I was using helium to calm myself down. I found talking to myself in that ridiculous voice helps." he blushed and looked down in embarrassment.

I actually started laughing. This made him blush even more.

"Oh..no..I'm not...laughing...at you." I managed to gasp out while I tried to catch my breath.

He looked up, searching my face for an explanation. I caught my breath and started speaking again.

"I was just laughing at how right Alice was, since I thought she was crazy." I was shaking my head, as if speaking to myself.

He smiled at me and pulled me into a hug.

"So it doesn't bother you, that I'm acting like a complete man...not to mention completely strange and bizarre?" he asked as he kissed the top of my head.

"No, actually. It's entertaining and somewhat exciting, I might add." I said, as I pulled away to look at him.

"Exciting?" he asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"Well, it makes me feel...wanted...and since I'm wanted by you, it makes me sort of...giddy, so to speak." I said, smirking at him.

That crooked grin appeared on his face and he gave me a sweet kiss, causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach.

We decided it was time to go back over to the dance floor and see what all the fuss was about. Alice couldn't stop laughing.

Apparently, Alice had decided to give some hip-hop/r&b music to the DJ and now Lauren and Jessica were in the middle of the dance floor, grinding on each other, trying to be sexier than the other, in order to attract Mike. Mike just stood there with his mouth hanging open and, I'm sure, a puddle of drool at his feet.

Alice and Rosalie were pointing and laughing at the spectacle, while Emmett seemed to be mimicking Mike's facial expression, earning him a smack upside the head from Rosalie, who had caught him staring.

A few minutes later, Alice announced it was time for cake and dessert. When I went over to the cake I saw the pictures were not what I thought they were. Instead, they were pictures of me throughout childhood and into my awkward high school years.

"How-how did you get these pictures?" I immediately wheeled around on Alice.

"Well, I e-mailed your mom and she scanned some over to me. It was Emmett's idea actually." she said smiling in victory.

Oh well, it was too late now. I just decided to make my wish and get the party over with.

_I wish, Edward and I could be together for the rest of our lives._ Then I blew out the candle.

I got bombarded with "What was your wish" questions, but I just told them if I told them I'd have to kill them.

After that, the party went by smoothly and soon everyone was leaving with their little goody bags that Alice had prepared. They came with candy, a little bear with "Hollywood" written on its stomach and stars, and a pretend award that had a fake Oscar mixed with a reel of film and a plastic camera that read "Bella's 19th Birthday September 13, 2008."

We stayed to clean up for an extra hour and between the six of us, we got it looking nice and clean. It was only about eleven-fifteen when we got back to the house and I decided to open my dreaded presents there. Surprisingly, Alice had convinced people I didn't even know to get me at least a card.

I got home and sat down on the couch. Edward sat next to me and Alice sat on my other side. Jasper leaned on the armrest of the couch, while Rosalie and Emmett stretched out along the loveseat together.

Alice started handing me some of the gifts. The first couple presents were simply cards from the unknown guests. Some of them had random gift cards or even some cash. Next, Edward handed me a small silver bag with silver tissue paper. Inside were two tickets to the Muse concert next month at The Showbox. I squealed with delight and threw my arms around his neck, kissing all over his face in rapid succession.

"I...take it...you like the...present?" he managed to get out when he could breathe through my assault on his face.

I stopped kissing him to smile and nod in definite approval.

He smiled back at me, "And Alice said you hated gifts."

I blushed and was brought back to reality when Alice placed two large boxes at my feet in electric blue, glitter wrapping paper.

I unwrapped the first one slowly, not wanting to rip the beautiful paper. When I opened the box, my eyes grew wide and immediately turned to Alice, my eyes questioning if it was real. She smiled in assurance and I pulled the beautiful navy blue dress from the vintage boutique out of the box. Edward eyes it with a small smile playing on his lips, no doubt, trying to imagine what I would look like in it.

I reached over to hug Alice after putting it gently back into the box, but Alice put up her hands to stop me.

"Hello, another box?" she said, smiling at me.

I turned to open the other box, but Emmett had jumped up from his spot and ripped off the wrapping paper.

"What? You're too slow! I wanna get to my present!" he said shrugging, with his big, white grin plastered to his face.

I was almost scared of what he could've possibly gotten me. I opened the next box and found the other amazing dress I had fallen in love with at the boutique where we found Alice's dress. This time she actually let me hug her.

Suddenly, as I was leaning back into the couch, I heard the oddest sound. A whimper. I looked around the room for the source and was met by Emmett's grin growing even wider. I got up to search for the source of the strange noise, as I heard it louder and more often.

They all followed me, as the sounds led me to the kitchen. When I walked around the corner of the counter, my jaw dropped at what I saw. My eyes began to water with tears of joy.

There in a cage on the floor, was the cutest red-brown, long-haired chihuahua puppy, I had ever seen. **(picture in profile). **When he caught sight of me, instead of being scared, he stood up, with his tail wagging and his tongue lolled out.

I walked over to the cage and took the puppy into my arms. He immediately tried to lick my face. I looked at his little red collar and the small tag that read, "Jake," in shiny, silver letters.

"We got him at the new adoption center at Petsmart." Rosalie said.

"I knew that you had wanted a dog since you were little, but couldn't have one since Charlie's allergic and all. I figured it'd be easier to start off with a small dog, too." Emmett said, beaming like a proud father.

"Rosalie helped out by getting you a dog starter kit of sorts. A dog bed, food bowls, food, and dog shampoo." Jasper said quietly from beside Alice.

I walked over to them with Jake still in my arms and hugged each of them individually. Jasper was tentative at getting close to me, as if he feared he might break me. Then again, he had seemed reserved since we met him.

I took Jake into the backyard, so he could go to the bathroom. Edward came out with me to watch the puppy. He stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, placing his head on my shoulder. We watched Jake frolic through the grass that was practically as tall as him. I'd have to remind Emmett to mow the back lawn.

When Jake seemed finished and had sufficiently explored the new territory, he ran over to me, trying to crawl up my leg. I picked him up and we all went inside.

It was time for everyone to go home, so I hugged Rosalie and Jasper one last time and saved Edward for last. While Alice and Emmett walked the other two outside, I put Jake back in his cage then found Edward standing in the doorway, waiting for me. He hugged me and we just stood there, for what felt like an hour.

He finally pulled away to look at me. He seemed to be having an inner struggle with whether or not he should say something to me.

"Edward?" I asked, trying to prompt him. It worked.

"Bella. I know it's still kind of early and I know this relationship is only a month old, but would you come with me to my parents for Thanksgiving? Oh, your parents could come, too." He added the last part quickly.

I stood there stunned, not knowing what to say.

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**Okay, so I have some explaining to do. I have been super busy lately with projects and midterms. Then add on lots of A.D.D. And writer's block lol. Then, last week I was house-sitting for the week and didn't have time to even write. BUT, I finally got it up. It's 15 whole pages. I hope that makes the wait more worth it. Thanks to those who have stuck with me. It'd be great to see all those on alert leave me some kind of review to know if you like it or not, or even just wanna say update lol. Oh and I know someone else has done the whole Jake as a dog thing, but I thought it'd be funnier if he was this little, but cute, annoying, yapping dog instead of a big confident, overbearing dog. So tell me what you guys think! R&R! Thanks guys :D**

**-DL**

**P.s. You can find pictures of all the dresses, suits, celebrities, and new people mentioned on my profile, as well as other goodies. :D**


	9. Endlessly

**A/N: Wow! Such great feedback on that last chapter! I'm glad you guys liked the details I put in and Jake as a frolicking puppy lol.**

**I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 9: Endlessly  
**

**BPOV**

"I knew it was too soon. I shouldn't have asked. Forget I said anything." Edward babbled on, as I stood there in shock.

I finally snapped myself out of it when he tried to leave.

"No, Edward. It's great. I want to meet your parents. I was just shocked that you wanted me to." I said trying to smile and reassure him.

He smiled his crooked grin and picked me up in a hug, twirling me around.

"Great. I'm gonna call my mom in the morning and tell her you're coming. She's going to be so excited." he said, practically beaming, as if I had just agreed to marry him.

Actually, that thought didn't sound too bad about now, but I was getting ahead of myself.

He kissed me quickly then hurried off to his car. Emmett and Alice came back in and saw my dazed expression.

"What's up with you? Looks like he just asked you to marry him or something." Alice said smirking at me.

I blushed and shook my head.

"No, he invited me to his parents' house for Thanksgiving and told me to bring my parents." I said grinning like a madman.

"Oh really? That's awesome! Jasper and Rosalie invited us to Thanksgiving with their parents and the Cullens, too! We're bringing our mom and dad along, also!" Alice squealed.

I smiled. This was going to be an exciting and memorable Thanksgiving with everyone I loved altogether.

_Wait, did I just say love? Do I love Edward? I mean it's definitely more than just liking him, but love? That seems so _strong_ of an emotion. Could this really be it? Is he "the one"? _ I thought to myself, truly trying to contemplate my real feelings for Edward.

I wondered if he thought about this. Did he love me? Maybe I'd tell him soon. Maybe.

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The next few weeks passed quickly with random work shifts, pop quizzes and movie nights. Soon, it was the night before the concert.

I still hadn't told him I loved him, but the topic hadn't come up. I needed just the right moment to talk to him about it.

The concert was at night, but we were going to go on a lunch date before the actual concert. Tonight, Alice was helping me pick out the perfect outfit. She said that since the venue was a more private venue, I should dress up, plus it was a date and she felt it was going to be a very special occasion.

My mind immediately thought proposal, but I quickly reasoned otherwise knowing that we hadn't even said "I love you" how could we be ready for "I do"?

She decided that I should wear the dress that was my absolute favorite. The one she had given me for my birthday. I hung the dress on my bathroom door and got online to talk to Edward.

**TrippingOnAir13: **Hey Edward.

**MusicMaster17: **Hey Bella. Are you ready for the big day tomorrow? :)

**TrippingOnAir13: **Of course. Why wouldn't I be? But, what's so big about it? Besides it being Muse and all.

**MusicMaster17: **Oh, I don't know. Every day with you is a big day for me. It's the next day in forever. ;)

I smiled at the computer screen and blushed, even though he couldn't see it.

**MusicMaster17: **Well, I'm going to go to bed, so I'm refreshed and ready to see your beautiful face bright and early. G'night.

**MusicMaster17 has signed off.**

**TrippingOnAir13: **Goodnight. I love you.

**Your message was not received. Please wait until the user you are trying to contact has signed on.**

I missed a perfect opportunity. Again. Well, I had to admit that I wanted to tell him in person. It would be more romantic that way. I'll just wait. Maybe I could tell him at the concert.

I shut my laptop and got ready for bed. I slipped on the t-shirt Edward had left from before my party and climbed into bed.

I woke up around ten to the sound of loud music and a wind-chime singing voice.

Alice was up.

She had the stereo on, full blast practically, playing the newest Jonas Brothers' CD.

"_Speechless. Over the edge of just breathless. I never thought that I'd catch this, lovebug again."_ Alice sang from the kitchen.

_Hopeless,__head over heels in the moment,  
__I never thought that I'd get hit,  
By this love bug again._

I smelled bacon and waffles, so I climbed out of bed. When I walked into the kitchen I nearly fell over from laughter. Emmett and Alice were in the kitchen in their pajamas and aprons that read "Kiss the Cook." Emmett was swaying about humming to the music as he cooked the waffles in the waffle iron. Alice was dancing around the stove cooking the bacon and watching the biscuits in the oven.

Even Jake was dancing on his hind legs between the two. It was so adorable, yet so hilarious all at the same time. Boy, were they a sight for sore eyes in the morning.

Alice caught sight of me on the floor in just Edward's shirt and her grin grew wide.

"Why hello, Miss Bella. How nice of you to join us! Care to cover up that amazing booty of yours and have some breakfast with us and the JoBros?" She asked as she took the biscuits out of the oven.

I smiled at her and ran to grab some gym shorts.

When I went back into the kitchen, Jake ran straight over to me and tried climbing up my leg.

"No, no Jake. Not right now. After breakfast I'll hold you." I said in a voice you would speak to a child with.

He seemed to be upset by my reply and sulked off to who knows where. Alice handed me a plate of food and we all went to sit at the couch to watch the Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Alice shut off the blaring stereo and switched on the television. Even Emmett had to admit that Saturday Morning Cartoons were not like they used to be. They were more cheesy and more boring. Some even had worse coloring. The only good one left was Spongebob, so we settled on that.

In the middle of my breakfast, I found Jake nuzzling my feet from under my couch. So that's where he had run off to. I bent down to scratch behind his ears and found something else next to him under the couch. A very wet, very destroyed sock. One of Emmett's favorite baseball socks. Uh-oh.

I quickly stuffed it back under the couch and gulped down my breakfast. I went to go get ready and take my shower.

I got out of the shower and slipped on my dress with my shiny, black flats. Next, I would have to endure Alice's torture that she called make-overs.

As if she knew it was time, she burst into my room, hairdryer and make-up bag in hand.

"Time to beautify!" Alice squealed as she pushed me into the bathroom and onto a stool I normally kept under the sink.

She went to work, raking a comb through my wet hair and turning the dryer on full blast. In what felt like the longest half hour ever, my hair was dry and framing my face in soft curls.

"Perfect!" she said, stepping back to admire her work.

She wasted no time in her attack on my face, curling my lashes, slathering on eyeliner and dabbing on lipgloss.

When she was finished she had me look in the mirror. I had to admit, she was good. I looked..._hot_.

I got up to check my phone for messages, when I head Emmett yelling from down the hall.

"Has anyone seen my baseball socks? Rosalie and I are going to the batting cages today!" he yelled, as I heard drawers being opened and slammed shut.

_Oops_. Why did Jake have to pick those as his chew toys? I blushed trying to figure out the best way to break the news to him, but was saved from having to do anything.

"Aww, Jake! Why? You're lucky you're so darn cute!" Emmett said with booming laughter from the front room.

I let out a sigh of relief, as I walked into the front room. Emmett was holding up one normal black and white baseball sock and one soaked one. Thankfully there weren't any holes in it. Jake was sitting at his feet wagging his tail and panting happily.

Alice brought the hairdryer into the front room and plugged it into a nearby socket. She started drying the sock, just as the doorbell rang, signaling Edward's arrival. Jake ran around the couch, slipping on the hardwood floor and nearly ran into the front door, yapping the whole time.

I opened the door and my breath stopped at the sight of him. He had a very flattering outfit on that somehow managed to make him look even more gorgeous than normal.

It was a gray v-neck sweater with black edges, nice black slacks, a gray and black scarf with random square designs, and some black boots. **(Picture in profile).**

He took my left hand and handed me some blue-dyed roses to my other hand. **(Picture in profile. They're so pretty!). **He spun me around with one hand, like a child dancing with her father, to see the whole dress.

"Stunning. Simply Beautiful." he practically whispered.

I blushed crimson and he immediately pulled me to him, placing a sweet kiss on my lips.

"Shall we be on our way to lunch then?" he asked, holding his arm out for me to take.

I nodded, but started to walk to the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase. When I got back over to Edward, I felt something at my feet. I looked down to see Jake whimpering and patting a paw on my shoe.

I picked him up and kissed the top of his head. He nuzzled into my neck, no doubt trying to convince me to stay home. I scratched behind his ears, then set him on the couch.

"Sorry Jake. I already have a boyfriend, but I'll be home to play with you tonight." I said patting him one last time before turning to Alice, who was still finishing drying the sock.

"If he gives you and Jasper any trouble, just call me and put him in his cage. Don't leave him outside by himself, he'll find a way out of the yard. Oh, and don't give him any people food, it makes him sick. He's never been away from me for a whole day, so good luck and I'll see you tonight." I said waving good-bye to her, as Edward and I walked to his car.

We got to the restaurant quickly, listening to Muse the whole way to get us ready for the concert. The restaurant was on Aurora Avenue, just ten minutes from the concert venue. It was called Canlis. The place looked very beautiful and _very expensive_.

The maitre d' led us to a private room. It was gorgeous. We were away from the sun so the room was somewhat dim, but romantic, with a beautiful view of Lake Union. There was a table for two set with a gorgeous red flower arrangement in the center of the table. The room also had a comfortable-looking couch and a fireplace. **(link on profile).**

"Edward?" I asked timidly, after being seated.

"Hmm?" he murmured looking through the menu.

"Could we maybe, go somewhere else?" I asked quietly.

This brought his attention to me. His eyes grew big and worried.

"Why? Is something wrong?" he asked, guilt and worry tinging his voice and gemstone eyes.

"No, it's just, Idon'twantyouwastingyourmoneyonme." I mumbled out the last part quickly, and blushed

in embarrassment.

"Money is never _wasted_ on you, my beautiful Bella, it is simply spent wisely." he said, his crooked grin making a dazzling appearance.

My eyes glazed over for a bit, as I thought back to my birthday morning and our..antics. I suddenly realized Edward was staring at me and waving a hand in my face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"Oh, uh, yeah." I said, breaking out of my stupor.

"Looked like you were having a nice little daydream there. I was almost expecting you to drool." he said winking at me and no longer able to hold back a chuckle.

I wanted to slink under the table and disappear, but the waiter made his appearance to take our drink orders.

The rest of lunch passed by casually, it felt as if it was just us and we had nowhere else to be. I had ordered the stuffed chicken, while Edward ordered their special lamb shanks. There was plenty of small talk as we enjoyed our meals and even stole a few bites from each other. I had to excuse myself to the ladies' room after almost six glasses of Coke.

As I was walking back to our table, Edward was facing away from me, on the phone. I caught the last few sentences of his conversation.

"Yes, about that time." he said, pausing for the response.

"Okay. Yes, we'll want those seats." he said, I could almost hear his smile in his voice.

"Thank you so much. This is going to be perfect. I'll see you soon." he said and hung up the phone.

I walked around to my seat, as if I had not been standing behind him eavesdropping, but did not sit down.

"So are you ready to go?" he asked smiling and getting up to join me.

"Yes, I can't wait." I said plastering on my smile, trying to figure out the conversation I had overheard.

"Okay then. I paid the bill while you were away. I felt it was the safest route." he said chuckling.

I smirked at him and walked to the car with my arm linked through his.

In the short car ride, he seemed to feel my almost tension, as he kept stealing glances at me, but he did not speak up.

We walked into the venue with Edward's arm around my waist. He called over a man in an usher suit with the name tag reading "Seth." The boy smiled and led us to a row near the front of the stage. It was already a very intimate show, seeing as the room could only hold around two or three hundred guests.

The stage was a decent size, with many colored stage lights, what looked like balloons above us, and a large television making up the back wall of it. It all looked so beautiful and exciting. It was my first concert.

I found many of my firsts were with Edward or were going to be, I hoped. First boyfriend, first kiss, first make-out, first concert, first extravagant birthday, first puppy, first time at a super expensive restaruant, I wondered what other firsts would be explored with him. First time on a boat, first "I love you," first time miniature golfing, first time meeting a boy's parents, first marriage, first time making love...I blushed at the last one. I wasn't exactly ready for it, but that didn't mean I didn't know I wanted it to be with him or that I couldn't think about it.

Edward caught my blush and smiled before finally speaking up.

"Okay. Now I have to ask. What on earth are you thinking about?" he said, again trying not to laugh.

"Oh, uh, well, I..."I stammered out, turning a deep crimson.

"I can't read your mind." he said in a low voice as he leaned dangerously close to my lips.

"I wa-was thinking about u-us and, well, uh, you know." I said looking down and blushing even more.

I looked up to see him blushing, too.

"Oh, well, um, I think about that, too, some-sometimes." he said trying to avert eye contact.

He seemed to be trying to slow his breathing. I took hold of his hand and pulled his chin to face me.

"We both aren't ready for that...yet. But when we are, we'll know." I said seriously, then smiled at him.

He nodded, "But do you think, maybe, we could test what we _are_ ready for? Push some boundaries?"

"Testing seems good to me." I said blushing and smiling down at our intertwined hands.

"Just remember, if you don't like something, tell me, and I'll stop immediately." he said looking at me with his smoldering emeralds.

I nodded and leaned my head on his shoulder, as he called for the waiter.

He ordered us some drinks just as the lights went out for the opening act, The Like.

The songs they played were upbeat and fun despite their somewhat gloomy lyrics. I asked Edward if we could buy their CD during the intermission. He grinned at me, but I just felt confused. _Did I miss something?_

"I already got the CD. I knew you'd like them. It's waiting to be picked up out there." he said close to my ear.

I shivered. Oh, he knew me so well.

After they played about six or seven songs, it was six o'clock which meant it was time for the two-hour intermission. One hour was set aside for people to buy merchandise and meet the band, the other hour was set aside for dinner.

We walked into the main room, hand-in-hand, over to a small table with a bodyguard holding a clipboard and some type of list.

"Cullen." Edward said to the man.

He looked up with a grin and pulled open a door behind him. The door led to a hallway of dressing rooms.

The names "The Like," and "Muse" were found printed and taped to two of the doors. The bodyguard knocked on the door to "The Like" and called to them "Your guests are here."

The door opened and the three pretty girls from the stage stood smiling at the door.

"Hi Edward and Bella!" They said excitedly.

"How-how?" I stammered out confused as to how they knew our names.

"Oh we've already talked to Edward. We're so glad you guys came. Here's a CD for you. We all signed it." the tallest girl said.

They handed me the CD and three signatures were on it in black sharpie.

"Oh how silly of us, let us introduce ourselves. I'm Tennessee." said the tall girl, "This is Charlotte," she gestured to the short brunette, "and finally, that's Elizabeth, but she goes by 'Z'" she gestured to the other blonde.

The all smiled at us and gave us a hug.

"Could we take a picture?" Edward said in a velvety tone, reminding me that he was there.

"Sure! Everybody smile!" said Tennessee.

We took a picture and got another hug from all of them.

"Well I guess you guys have another appointment to get to. Oh, and dinner, of course." Z said smiling at us.

"Bye. It was really nice meeting you all!" I said truly meaning my words.

"Hope to see you guys again!" Charlotte finally spoke up.

With that we left the room. I was about to walk out of the hallway when Edward pulled my arm.

"Where do you think you're going? We still have people to meet." he said flashing his crooked grin making me lose all coherency.

"Oh, y-yeah, uh-huh." I said smiling dumbly.

He led me to the Muse's room and knocked lightly.

I was about to walk away thinking they weren't in there when they opened the door and there stood Matthew Bellamy, lead singer of Muse.

He welcomed us in, but I stood in the doorway dumbfounded, unable to move from the shock. I felt Edward lightly pushing me through the doorway and somehow my feet managed to react and walk me into the room.

I finally managed to gather some coherency as I heard a soft "Hello" coming from the amazing man in front of me.

"Hi." I said in a squeaky voice.

It's not like how Edward effects me, with his dazzling smile and looks, but the fact that standing in front of me, were the three amazing artists behind the awesome band, Muse.

"Well I suppose you are Bella?" Dominic said from behind Matthew on a comfortable looking couch.

"Ye-yes." I said finally managing to speak effectively.

Dominic grinned at me. "I think you'll very much enjoy the show tonight." he said cryptically.

"I absolutely love your guys' music. It's amazing." I blabbered out, making myself look like a pathetic fangirl.

They all just chuckled lightly and Matthew walked over to where Chris was sitting with a stack of CDs. There was one of each of their CDs stacked. Chris saw me eying the stack and he smiled at me. Matthew grabbed the stack of CDs and walked back over to where Edward and I were still standing. He pulled out a medium black bag that had "MUSE" written on it three times and some Muse pins, and put the CDs in it, as well as a couple t-shirts, sweaters, and an autographed picture of them. **(Store Link on profile to see the stuff).**

He handed the bag to me and I about passed out. Edward had to catch me from falling to the floor and I heard him silently laughing at my reaction.

"Well I think that's everything. There's a few posters waiting with the man out front because we didn't want them to get smashed in the bag. Now for a picture before we leave you two to your dinner?" Matthew said smoothly.

I nodded and their stage manager, who had been sitting silently on the opposite end of the couch to Dominic, stood up to take the picture of all of us. I put on the biggest smile as I thought of how amazing this night was turning out to be. _Could this get any better?_

We left the room and collected our posters from the bodyguard before walking upstairs to the dining area for our dinner. We decided to keep dinner simple with some delicious burgers and a salad. We talked about meeting the bands and the songs we hoped Muse would play during the show.

"Oh I really hope they play their cover of 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You.' I love the way they do it. Oh and 'Endlessly.' That song is beautiful." I said excitedly.

"As are you." Edward said flashing that dazzling crooked grin that made my heart flutter.

I blushed, but went back to naming songs I wanted to hear. "Oh and Time is Running Out, Hysteria, Unintended. Ah, I just love all their songs." I said smiling and placing my head in my hand.

Edward smiled and took my hand to get up from the table. He went to pay the check, then we walked back to our seats. The concert would be resuming in just ten minutes. I was so excited, I almost started bouncing in my seat. Now I knew why Alice always started bouncing when she was excited. You couldn't help it!

The lights dimmed and the stage lights lit up. Muse walked out and there were deafening cheers all around the room.

"Welcome Seattle! We're so glad to see you! We have some fun stuff planned for tonight! Hope you enjoy and here's our first song! 'Take a Bow.'" Matthew said to the roaring audience as the fun beginning of the song began.

Songs and time passed by quickly, but I enjoyed every second of it. They had played "Hysteria", "New Born", "Butterflies & Hurricanes", "Map of the Problematique", and Starlight before playing a beautiful piano interlude.

"Now, we have a special announcement before we continue the concert." Chris said, once Matthew had finished playing.

"If you would please direct your attention to the television screen behind us, Miss Isabella Swan." said Matthew.

My jaw dropped and I felt tears coming to my eyes as I read the screen.

It read, "Isabella Marie Swan, I love you. Love Always, Edward Cullen" in a giant red heart.

I was officially crying happy tears, as I practically tackled Edward into a huge hug, kissing all over his face whispering, "I love you, too." over and over again.

I felt the spotlight come to us and I immediately tried to hide my face in Edward's neck.

"Seems like the lovely lady is happy about it!" Dominic said, chuckling on stage.

"Now it is time for the two songs he has dedicated to you, Miss Swan." Matthew said, winking at me.

With that, I heard the beginning of "Endlessly". I smiled at Edward and put my arms around his neck, while he placed his on my hips. We gently swayed as Edward sang along in my ear.

_There's a part in me you'll never know  
The only thing I'll never show_

_Hopelessly I'll love you endlessly  
Hopelessly I'll give you everything  
But I won't give you up  
I won't let you down  
And I won't leave you falling  
If the moment ever comes_

_It's plain to see it's trying to speak  
Cherished dreams forever asleep  
Hopelessly I'll love you endlessly  
Hopelessly I'll give you everything  
But I won't give you up  
I won't let you down  
And I won't leave you falling  
If the moment ever comes_

_Hopelessly I'll love you endlessly  
Hopelessly I'll give you everything  
But I won't give you up  
I won't let you down  
And I won't leave you falling  
But the moment never comes_

I sighed and kissed Edward when the song finished. Everyone was 'aww'-ing around us and clapping for us and the band. The next song started soon after. Their cover of "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You." How did he possibly know all these things. _Oh, he was good. Really good._

I smirked at him and we continued dancing for the rest of the concert. Every now and then he'd whisper an "I love you" in my ear and I would whisper it back. The night was perfect. The concert finally ended, sadly enough, and we left after saying our "goodbyes" and "thank yous" to the band and staff members.

When we got in the car I finally checked my phone. I had found it odd that I had not had one call or even text from Alice about anything bad happening, but when I checked, I realized that my phone was off. _Uh-oh_.

I turned it on, and there they were. _15 missed calls. 23 text messages._ My phone blinked at me. I decided to check the phone calls first. Twelve were from Alice, one from Emmett, and two from my parents surprisingly. I checked the texts next. Every one of them was from Alice. I started scanning through them. Many of them simply said 'Pick up your phone!' or 'Help!' I only opened the ones that said more, deleting the rest.

First message: _Omg Bella. I don't know what's wrong with him! He's like running around in circles with his ears pressed to the floor!_

Next message: _Nvm. He had water in his ear from the bath we gave him. It's okay now._

Next message: _Oh my Jesus. He's peeing everywhere! He didn't even whine about needing to go out! __What do I do with him?_

Next message: _Oh God. He pooped on himself. He looks sick. Gotta give him another bath. Please come home!  
_

Next message: _Oh, Bella. Please help. He's driving us crazy!_

The messages carried on in this fashion each more horrifying and guilt filling than the last. I had to get home to help. I explained to Edward and he drove us quickly home, weaving through traffic at fifteen miles over the speed limit.

We quickly parked and I ran to the house. Before I could even dig my key out, Alice answered the door. Her hair was going crazy, her make-up smeared, and she looked slightly deranged.

"Oh Bella. You're here." she said, laughing like a crazy person.

I swear she belonged in an asylum sometimes.

She dragged us both in and my jaw dropped. Jake was running around yelping, dripping water everywhere, while Emmett was standing ready at the cage, Rosalie was laying in the hall to block access, and Jasper was chasing him around the front room with a towel.

Jake caught sight of me and immediately ran to hide behind me. Jasper threw me the towel and I picked him up. He immediately relaxed and everyone collapsed to the ground in exhausted heaps. Jake nuzzled into my neck, while I walked him over to his cage, dried him off, and put him in.

Emmett crawled over to where Rosalie was now relaxed in the hallway and Jasper and Alice had made it to the couch. They were soon snoring.

"Guess big surprises come in small packages." I whispered to Edward, looking over at Jake's cage.

"Oh yes, more than you could ever know." he whispered back cryptically.

We decided to just leave the others where they were. They were exhausted enough and deserved a break. Edward and I walked into my room and got ready for bed.

Thanksgiving with the families was in a little over a month, we had said our "I love yous" and I had gone to my first amazing concert with Edward. This was turning out to be a very interesting and exciting fall this year. Time was passing too quickly, but it was full of adventure and fun. I never wanted it to end.

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**A/N: Okay, so I was busy planning all week for the Halloween party I had last night and coming up with some fun new stories, but those won't be here for a while now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. 11 entire pages. Jake is such a pain lol. Hope you liked the fluffy I love you's and all that jazz. Thanksgiving and explaining the night with Jake should happen next chapter. Maybe some more fluff and excitement for the characters as well. One last thing, Jasper has been changed again. I like the new one so much better. And we'll be meeting all the parents next chapter, so be on the lookout. You know what to do! R&R my loves! Thanks! :D**

**-DL**


	10. All Together Now

**A/N: Lmao. Jake is in so much trouble. Here is Thanksgiving, as well as some fun stuff for all the characters, including Jake! :D**

**I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 10: All Together Now  
**

**BPOV**

When I woke up in the morning, I found myself in Edward's warm embrace. I snuggled into his chest. I felt him stretch beneath me and wrap his arms tightly around me and breath in the smell of my hair.

"Mm, you smell so good in the morning." he breathed into my hair.

"So do you." I said, squeezing my eyes shut tight, while I stretched along his body.

"What do you feel like doing today?" he said softly, when I had settled back into my previous place.

"I think I need to take Jake to a behavior training school." I said, rolling my eyes after thinking about how I had found everyone when we got home.

How something so small and cute could cause such big destruction was beyond me, but I was sure Alice would explain every last detail. That reminded me that everyone was here. I slid out of bed and pulled on some pajama pants since I was only in Edward's t-shirt again.

He got out of bed silently and was behind me before I could even turn back around. He slid his arms around me from behind me.

"You look so cute in my clothes." he purred into my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

I blushed and turned around to peck his lips. I took his hand and we walked into the front room. Alice and Jasper were still passed out on the couch. Emmett and Rosalie must've gotten up and gone to bed at some time.

Jake, however, was jumping around in his cage, yapping once in a while.

"Oh, Jake. What trouble did you cause? I was only gone for a couple hours." I said, taking him out of the cage and looking into his cute, big, brown eyes.

He licked my face, giving my doggy-breath kisses.

"Eww." I said laughing and trying to hold him far enough away so he couldn't get to my face.

"Look at that. The dog gets more action than I do." Edward said, chuckling softly, as he reached over to pet behind Jake's ears.

Jake nipped at him playfully, but settled from smelling Edward's hand. After he assessed that the hand smelled enough like me, he let Edward pet him.

I walked him over to the backyard and let him out, walking out with him, afraid he could find a corner to dig himself out of the yard. Edward walked out with me. I shivered from the slight wind. I looked up at the dark clouds covering the morning sky.

"Ugh. Rain. Gotta love Seattle." I said, with a heavy sigh.

"What's so bad about that? Means we can stay in and watch movies, hang out, maybe...test some boundaries." he said, whispering the last part.

I blushed remembering the conversation we had had at the concert about certain boundaries. I called Jake over and brought him inside just as the first drop of rain fell. We went in and I put him away, despite his whimpers of protest. The whimpers broke Alice and Jasper out of their sleep.

"Hullo? Be-Bella?" Alice spoke groggily from the couch.

She sat up and her little spikes were flying in every possible direction, with one of her eyes hanging lazily more closed than the other. Jasper sat up wide-eyed and crazy hair as well.

"What? What? Where am I? What time is it?" Jasper asked in rapid succession, slightly dazed .

"Shh, shh honey. We're at my house. It's Sunday." Alice said, then yawned as she stretched her tiny arms as far up in the air as she could.

"Good morning, Alice, Jasper." I said, smirking at them.

Alice smiled at us and bounded over Jasper and off the couch to run over to us. She threw her arms around my neck in a vice grip.

"Oh, Bella. Last night was horrible. I was sure I was gonna have to either die, or kill Jake." she said, not letting go.

"Can't...breathe." I said, trying to peel her arms off.

"Oh, sorry. But anyways, I think Jake needs obedience school. He can't even handle a day without you. Think if you ever had to go on a vacation without him. He'd tear the whole house up!" she said, her eyes growing wide, reminding me of how I had found her last night.

"Well let me make some breakfast and you can tell me what happened." I said, patting her back and taking Edward's hand, as I walked into the kitchen.

Alice skipped over to Jasper and sat on his lap, while I started pulling out ingredients for French toast. As soon, as the first piece was grilling, I heard Emmett walking up the hall, following the scent of food with his nose high in the air. It's like he had a sixth sense for food.

Trailing behind him sleepily was Rosalie. Her hair was disheveled in she was only in Emmett's longest shirt, which barely went to mid-thigh on her. They both sat at the stools next to the counter, watching Edward and me work our way through the kitchen.

We finished making breakfast and passed out the plates to everyone. The four of them ate quickly, as if they hadn't eaten in days. _What the hell happened last night?_

Alice was done first, though it was beside me where she could fit all that food in her tiny frame.

"Okay. So here's what happened." she said clearing her throat and pushing her plate aside.

I nodded for her to continue.

"Jasper and I were minding our own business, watching _27 Dresses_ after you guys left. Jake was in his cage. He started whining so we let him out." she stopped when we heard thunder overheard.

_Was this some kind of sign for the story, or what? Great, a big storm. Just watch, next the power will go out and we won't even have a movie day._ I sighed, but waited for her to continue the story.

"Well, we forgot that he wasn't supposed to be out alone, so when I turned to talk to Jasper, he dug a hole and got out. The ground was still wet from the rain the other night, so when we found him, he was caked in mud. He was so cold and scared he ended up peeing on himself." She said, cringing.

"So we brought him in and I gave him a bath, while Alice started making some dinner for us. By the time Jake was out and dry, Rose and Emmett were back from their date. So, Jake, obviously having a fondness for Emmett's socks, walked right up to Emmett, and peed on his shoes." Jasper said, trying to fight a smile.

"Well then, I chased him around the room and he ran yelping under your bed. We couldn't get him out for like twenty minutes, AND I got stuck under your bed trying to crawl under and get him. Everyone had to help lift the bed off me." Emmett said, smiling sheepishly.

"But that wasn't it for the little booger. Oh, no. Then we get him and we put him in his cage and what does he do?" Jasper said.

I hadn't realized my mouth was hanging open with the shock of this story, so I closed it and shrugged.

"He poops on himself. By this time, I've already sent you a billion texts and called your phone, but the calls all went to voicemail, meaning you turned it off." Alice said, glaring at me jokingly.

"So then I gave him another bath, but he decided not to wait to get dry. And that's when you got home. Alice had been blocking the couch, so he couldn't crawl under. I was trying to catch him with the towel. Emmett was holding the cage ready to lock him in. Rosalie was blocking the hallway to keep him from getting into any of your rooms." Jasper let out a deep breath when he finished the story.

I just shook my head back and forth, unable to believe what had happened.

"I am _so_ unbelievably sorry, you guys. If I had known he would get this way. Wow. I'm sorry." I said, still trying to put the pieces together in a way that made sense.

_How sad, my dog's in love with me. In a very unhealthy way._ I snorted at that thought.

"Maybe we need to find him a girlfriend, so he can be okay without mine." Edward said chuckling.

I had almost forgot he was there during the whole story time.

"More like he needs some obedience school." I said, rolling my eyes as I looked at his smiling puppy face in his cage.

"There's one down the road from here. My parents know the owners. They take my dog there since I couldn't bring her with me to the apartment. They take her just because they're so nice and are really good with the dogs. It's not expensive either." Rosalie said, smiling at me tentatively.

Rosalie still wasn't very comfortable around me, though I had no idea why. I'd have to ask Edward about that later.

I cleared all the plates, while the rest of them, besides Edward, went over their plans for the rainy day. Edward and I did the dishes and hurried back over to see what their ideas were.

"Let's go to the park! The rain isn't that bad. Plus it's fun!" Alice squealed, clapping wildly in her seat.

"Yeah! Remember back in high school when we always used to go to that park near the high school and use the slide as a water slide?" Emmett said, excitedly.

I had to admit, that had been fun, but I didn't know if the others would be up for it.

"Sure, why not?" Rose said smiling at Emmett.

"Anything for you, my little pixie." Jasper said, smirking at Alice.

I smiled. Sounded like we had plans.

"This could be fun. I might not be able to control myself around you though." Edward whispered seductively against my earlobe.

I shivered in response and went to go change into clothes that could get drenched.

I settled on blue underarmour, a cute gray and black baseball style long-sleeve tee, some black thermals, black PINK sweats and my baseball socks with my cute, blue, rain shoes. **(pictures in profile of all their shirts and shoes).** I was a sight for sore eyes.

I walked out to find that everyone else was ready to go.

Alice was wearing her "Peace, Love, Ballet" shirt with sweats and her pink, spotted, rain shoes. Rosalie had borrowed a red turtleneck from Alice, along with some sweats and zebra rain shoes.

Emmett walked out in his Forks High baseball style tee, sweats, and his waterproof, hiking boots. Jasper had borrowed Emmett's blue shirt with buttons near the top and some sweats along with black rain shoes that had skulls and swirls on them.

I looked at Edward last. He looked hilarious, yet adorable all at the same time. He had borrowed Emmett's gray long sleeve shirt, and it hung loosely around him, due to their differences in muscle size. He also had on normal rain shoes and some sweats.

We grabbed our rain coats and headed to the nearest park. We weren't going to drive all the way to Forks for this.

We found a park only about five or ten minutes from the house that had three slides, six swings, a metal merry go round, and monkey bars. It even had one of those fireman poles. Alice, Emmett, and I squealed with delight.

We ran over to the slides first, decided on couples races. There were three curvy slides near each other so we all positioned ourselves at the top. Alice sat in front of Jasper, with his arms around her tiny waist, Rosalie sat in front of Emmett, and I sat in front of Edward.

"On your mark!" I shouted out.

"Get set!" Alice yelled.

"GO!" Emmett boomed, as we all pushed off and slid down the slick slides.

Alice and Jasper made it to the bottom first, while Emmett and Rosalie landed last.

Alice did a little victory dance, then dragged Jasper over to a pair of swings. Emmett and Rosalie climbed back on to the play structure. Edward guided me over to the merry-go-round.

"This isn't safe." I mumbled, as he pushed me lightly to sit on the circular contraption.

"And why is that, love?" he asked, smirking at me.

"'Cause I have horrible balance as it is. If you spin me around, that's just asking me to fall flat on my face ten times more." I said, blushing.

"It's okay, I'll catch you." he said, as he started to push the thing in a circle.

I quickly grabbed hold of the two nearest metal bars and tried not to slide off. Once we were going fast enough, he jumped onto it easily and slid next to me. I squealed as we spun faster, realizing it was so much more fun with Edward there beside me.

Emmett decided that they wanted to play tag in the rain. Edward slid us off the merry-go-round and ran over to the others, with me in his arms. I didn't want him to put me down, but he just reached back with one of his arms and unhooked my hands from around his neck.

We played tag for a little bit, and by the time we were done, we were soaked. It made Edward look even more delicious. The loose shirt, now clung to his defined muscles underneath his rain coat. I yearned to run my hands up and down his sculpted chest. He had to shake the little rain droplets from his still crazy hair. He looked so sexy. I wanted to tackle right then and there, but decided to wait till we got home.

When we got home, everyone went to take showers. We let our guests shower first. I had Emmett give me some more clean, dry clothes for Edward to wear.

When he came out, he was wearing just a towel, low on his hips. I had to stop myself from drooling. The shocked look on my face must've confused him, because he ran his hands through his wet hair and looked at me apologetically.

I handed him his clothes, never taking my eyes off his half-naked body. _Oh boy, there is a God._ I thought, giggling to myself.

He leaned down to lightly kiss me before I went to take my own shower. Of course, I couldn't leave it as just that. I twisted my own hands in his wet hair, pulling him close, trying to deepen the kiss. He readily granted access and put one hand behind my neck, the other low on my back.

I felt his towel fall to the ground and we both froze. We both blushed and I tried desperately to keep my eyes at his face, but failed for just a second. I had to get into that bathroom, _now._

I slammed the door shut, heat still flooding my face. _Wow, he's huge! _I thought, smiling to myself. I felt my breath getting uneven, as the image of him flooded my, now dirty, imagination. My cold clothes no longer bothered me and instead of starting a hot shower, I started a cold one.

I yelped when I got in, but it helped clear my mind. Then I flipped it to hot and took my shower.

When I got out, everyone was sitting on the couch, except for Alice. She was in the kitchen watching another bowl of popcorn pop, as she poured the remains of an already done pouch into a large bowl.

"So, what are we watching?" I asked.

"Something scary." Emmett said, grinning like a mad man.

"Ooh, no thanks." I said, moving to go back to my room.

"Come on, I'll protect you." Edward said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at me.

I sighed and gave up, taking a spot on Edward's lap comfortably.

Alice came over with the huge, overflowing bowl of popcorn and Jasper started the movie. We were watching Arachnophobia. _Oh lord. I hate spiders._ I thought, shivering at the idea of being surrounded by spiders. Edward just thought I was cold, so he pulled me closer and slid a nearby blanket around us.

I watched the movie through my fingers, screaming often. I was sure to lose my voice.

When the movie was finally over, I sighed in relief. I cuddled into Edward's chest and he carried me to my room. We laid there for a while, discussing our plans for thanksgiving. It was only a month away. I was going to meet his parents in a month.

"Are you sure they won't hate me?" I asked.

"Of course, not. They'll love you. My mom's already excited to meet you because of how much I talk about you." he said, smiling my favorite crooked grin.

I blushed and snuggled into his chest.

"Tomorrow morning..." I paused to yawn, "I need to take Jake to that obedience school."

"If we leave around eight or nine, I can show you where it is." he said, rubbing my back gently.

"Sounds good." I said sleepily.

And then I was out.

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I woke up bright and early to find Edward not there. I pouted a little but got ready for the day.

I found Edward in the living room talking to Jasper. They were talking about where the obedience school was.

I walked over to them and wrapped my arms around Edward's waist.

"Mm, you smell good." I said, breathing in his unique scent.

"Um, thanks?" he said, chuckling.

"I'm ready to go when you are." I said, letting go to grab Jake out of his cage.

"Then let's go." Edward said and led me to his car.

We drove a few blocks at an insane speed and pulled up to what looked like an old Victorian house.

"This is it. Sam's School for Dogs." he announced.

I could now see the large white sign in front of the house and got out of the car with Jake.

We walked in and a tall, tan man with long, black hair, greeted me, with a gorgeous young woman at his arm. She had a huge scar across her cheek.

"Welcome." she said politely, smiling at us with her mangled smile.

"This here is Jake." I said, holding him out to the couple.

"Well, I'm Sam, and this is my lovely wife, Emily." he said, shaking Jake's little paw, then gesturing to the woman that had greeted us.

I smiled. I liked them already.

"Let's give you a tour and some information then, shall we?" Emily said, turning down a long hall.

She led us to the backyard, pointing out the kennels, play areas, food area, and leash wall.

"Now here, we treat the puppies as small children. They are still learning. They just need someone to care for them and teach them, as you would your own child. We also understand that some people don't have the time to do so, which is why we're here." Emily said, beaming proudly.

A cute little black and brown dog walked up behind her and stared up at Jake. It looked like it smiled.

"Oh don't mind Nessie. She's the Hales' dog. She's a regular here." Sam said, reaching down to pick her up.

Jake started yapping, but he sounded excited.

He tried to jump out of my arms to her.

"Seems Jake has got a crush." Edward said chuckling.

"Aww, how sad. He's over me already." I said, snickering.

"Well it seems Jake is already set to be here." Sam said, laughing loudly.

They took Jake from me and put him in the play area with Nessie. We watched them jump around, nipping playfully at each other and tackling each other. Nessie always beat Jake, since she was a slightly bigger puppy. It was cute to watch.

We paid Sam and Emily for them to start the training and then left so that Edward could take me home before he had class.

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The next few weeks passed quickly. Jake was at the obedience school often, but mostly when Nessie was going to be there, as well. We could always tell those days when she wouldn't be there, because Jake would sulk around the house. It was like she told him that she couldn't show up. It was interesting, but nearly broke your heart when you saw how defeated poor Jake looked.

Thanksgiving was coming close and we were heading down to Forks the night before. We would all be staying in the Cullen's huge house.

The drive down there left me shaking with nervousness, sure that they would think I wasn't nearly good enough for their only son. We had brought Jake with us. He was still sulking as he sat on my lap for the car ride.

We pulled up and Alice and Emmett's cars were already there.

I got out of the car and went to grab my bags, but Edward wouldn't let me. He told me my only job was to look pretty and meet his mom. I walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.

A gorgeous woman with chestnut hair and a friendly face, answered the door.

"Hello there! You must be Bella Swan! Oh it's so nice to finally meet you! I'm Esme Cullen." she said pulling me into a warm embrace.

I smiled nervously, making sure Jake didn't get squished in the exchange.

"Oh, and who is this furry little fellow?" she said turning her attention to Jake.

"This is my puppy, Jake." I said smiling at her.

"Oh, well. We have two puppies visiting for the holiday." she said, causing Jake's ears to perk up.

Jake jumped out of my arms and ran into the house. I went to chase after him as Edward walked up the front porch and Esme went to greet him.

Jake skidded to a stop in the huge kitchen I was now standing in as he yapped happily towards the dog sitting on the other side of the room. Nessie was here.

She was in the arms of who I could only assume to be her owner. The woman holding Nessie very nearly made me die of embarrassment from how extraordinarily beautiful she was. This had to be Mrs. Hale. **(pic in profile).** She had the same platinum blond hair, beautiful features and a tiny waist.

"Oh, why hello there. Who might you be? I'm Lillian Hale." she said extending her free hand towards me.

"Be-Bella Swan." I said nervously shaking her hand.

"Oh! You're who Esme has been gushing about all week." she said smirking at me and putting Nessie on the floor.

Nessie scampered over to Jake and a tall, handsome man walked over to Lillian. He had disheveled brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes. Mr. Hale. _Why does this whole family have to be insanely good looking? And Edward's family too! It's not fair._ I thought to myself.

Lillian had already informed Mr. Hale who I was. He smiled in my direction and stuck his hand out as he greeted me.

"Matthew Hale. Nice to meet you, Bella." he said.

I did the most strangest thing in response. I curtsied, but caught myself midway. I blushed furiously and stood up straight, quickly. A little too quickly. I stumbled back and two arms caught me.

"Ahh, your reputation precedes you, Miss Bella." A familiar voice said from behind me.

"Mr. Brandon!" I squealed turning around to hug him.

"I already told you to call me Michael. How long have you known me?" he said chuckling.

He still had laugh lines and a slight stubble. His eyes made him look like an old soul, but they held so much joy in them that it made you happy just to look at him.

"Have you seen my kids?" he asked casually.

"No, I just got here." I said, shrugging.

"Okay, well, Samantha's looking for you. She misses ya." he said winking at me, as he walked out into the front room.

I finally got to see how the house looked. It was meticulous and beautiful. It was open and friendly and felt like _home._ I wandered around aimlessly, forgetting that I was looking for Alice's mom. Luckily, she found me.

She had short, brown, wavy hair and glasses. She was an adorable looking mom, just like my mom. She looked just like an older, taller, version of Alice.

"Bella! Oh I missed you! It's so quiet without you three around!" she said, pulling me into a bear hug, the same kind she had passed on to Emmett.

"I missed you, too! Mr—I mean Michael said you had been looking for me." I said, correcting myself.

"Yes. Alice told me you were going to be here and I was so excited. Her boyfriend is adorable and they have such a lovely family. The family who lives here is quite wonderful, too. I look forward to meeting their son." She said smiling at me.

I blushed. She didn't know Edward was my boyfriend. I was about to tell her when I felt him wrap his arms around me.

"I thought you were thinking about me, so I came over here." he cooed in my ear.

Samantha looked shocked and pleased. She had always worried I'd never find a guy good enough for me.

"Oh, do forgive me. I'm Edward Cullen. I'm Bella's boyfriend." he said politely, shaking her hand.

She smiled at him and introduced herself, but turned back to me.

"You sure know how to hit the jackpot, Isabella. Oh, and your parents are upstairs in the guest room. They wanted to see you." she said winking at me and going towards the kitchen.

I turned around to hug Edward then took his hand and led him upstairs to meet my parents.

My mom was putting her clothes into the dresser of the guest room. My father was laying lazily across the bed.

Reneé Swan was beautiful, with short brown hair is loose curls, brown eyes, and a friendly, welcoming smile. My mom. **(picture in profile).** Charlie Swan had short brown hairs that still had a slight wave from his curls and a fatherly face, with the same chocolate brown eyes as me. My dad. **(picture in profile).**

I knocked lightly on the door as we stepped in. My mom immediately turned around and ran over to hug me.

"Oh Bella! I've missed you honey!" she said, putting her arms around me.

"I missed you, too, mom." I said, squeezing her tight and seeing my dad make his way over from the bed.

My dad walked over to come greet us. He gave me a quick hug and smiled at me.

"So, Bella. Care to tell us why we're having Thanksgiving with your doctor?" Mom said, eying Edward with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah." I said, dragging Edward to my side.

"Hello. I'm Carlisle and Esme's son, Edward Cullen. I'm Bella's boyfriend." he said flashing his crooked grin powers on my mom.

She looked slightly dazed for a moment, but quickly regained composure to hug him and let him shake hands with Dad.

"How nice to meet you. Bella is very lucky to have someone like you." Mom said, smiling.

"You pass the test for now." Dad said, winking at me and smiling at Edward.

I blushed and told them that Edward still had to give me a tour of his house. Edward led me out of their room and to a flight of stairs. We went up and down the hall, stopping in front of a door.

"This, is my room." he said, as he opened the door to reveal a very large, neat room.

The entire back wall was a giant window with huge, draping, blood red curtains. There was a large king size bed along the left wall. It had a black comforter with a thick white border. It had black, white, and blood red pillows thrown haphazardly across the top of the bed.

On either side of the bed were two large shelved areas, covered in CDs.

"Wow." I said walking over to inspect his collection.

I ran my fingers across some of the familiar names. Debussy, Linkin Park, Muse, Coldplay. There was an unmarked CD in the mix, as well, that had "My Music" written on the front in beautiful script.

"What's this?" I said, sliding it out of it's spot on the shelf, carefully.

"Oh. That." he blushed, "It's some of my piano pieces that Esme had me record back in middle school."

He shrugged and took it out of my hand. He walked over to the massive stereo system that I now noticed was in the opposite corner of the room. He put the CD in and a fun, bubbly piano melody drifted around the room as if the notes were tangible.

"I wrote this when I was ten, for my biological mother." he explained, as he sat gently on the bed.

I sat next to him and listened carefully., feeling the emotion pour from each note.

The song ended and switched to another beautiful song. By this time, we were both laying back on the bed and I was cuddled into his side.

"This one's Esme's favorite. No idea why." he said chuckling.

"Well it is beautiful. Just like all your music really." I said, leaning up to kiss the corner of his jaw.

We laid there listening to the CD until we heard a tapping on the door.

"Come in." Edward said loudly to the unknown visitor.

"Well, well. Just where I always used to find you." a man's rich voice said as the door swung open.

A tall man, with blond hair and a model-worthy face, walked through the door in blue button up shirt and black slacks. He had amazing golden-hazel eyes and looked like he had just got off the runway. It was Dr. Carlisle Cullen. He was hard to forget.

"Ah, you have a visitor this time. Bella, how nice to see you outside the hospital." he said winking at me.

_Is Edward sure they aren't blood-related?_

"Nice to see you, too, Dr. Cullen." I said, immediately sitting upright and straightening out my shirt.

"Please. Call me Carlisle. We're practically family with how much I've seen you at the hospital these past several years." he said chuckling a little at the many memories.

I blushed and felt Edward move to sit beside me.

"Dinner will be ready soon. Just wanted to let you kids know." he said smiling and nodding at us, as he turned and left the room.

"And you were afraid they wouldn't like you." Edward whispered in my ear after Carlisle left.

I smirked and we went downstairs for dinner.

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The next morning, the whole house was buzzing with activity. Everyone had some sort of job. Most of the girls were in the kitchen preparing the dinner, except for my mom, since she couldn't cook to save her life. A few of the boys were helping out, too.

The rest were busy setting up the dining room. Emmett and Jasper were watching over the puppies, while they frolicked around the front room playing.

Esme and Lillian were preparing the turkey, while Alice made the stuffing and mashed potatoes. Matthew and Samantha were putting together a green bean casserole. Edward and I were in charge of dicing the fruit and making the sauce for my grandmother's special fruit salad recipe, while Rosalie tossed together an actual salad. The fruit salad was my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner.

Carlisle and Michael were, surprisingly, making the apple pie for dessert. I had always assumed Samantha w\had been behind the amazing pies that Alice and I had raced home from school for.

Dinner was ready by five and we all sat down to eat.

Dinner was delicious. We talked about all the amazing food and brought up old Thanksgiving stories, which were all cute and cuddly, until, that is they started talking about my childhood stories.

"I remember, one year, Bella decided to go vegetarian. By the time Thanksgiving came around, she had begged us to make her a tofu turkey. Mind you, she had only been a vegetarian for two weeks and had never had tofu." My mom started, trying not to laugh too much before she got the story out.

"So anyways, we all passing around our plates and she sticks her nose up in the air whenever a piece of turkey passes her and mutters something about 'animal cruelty'. We give her a piece of the turkey tofu and she's afraid to try it." My dad said calmly, but fighting a smile.

"So we're like 'Bella. You begged us for this. You have to eat it now.' And so, she takes a bite and spits it all over Emmett's face. They were having Thanksgiving with us that year." Samantha said, giggling, while Emmett scowled and I slowly sunk down in my chair.

"She begs us to have real turkey, but since she gave us such a hard time about being a vegetarian we just ate in front of her, but Alice, being the sneaky little best friend of Bella, snuck turkey under the table to her, as if she were her dog." Michael said.

Alice sat up straight at the sound of her name and quickly placed both hands on the table. I saw Jake jumping at the foot of her chair, excitedly.

"To make a long story short, Bella quit being a vegetarian, we didn't let her live it down for two more Thanksgivings, and here we are now." Mom said, summing up the rest of the story.

By this time the whole table was laughing in some way or another, except me, who was blushing deep red. Edward tried to hold back his laughter, making his face turn red from lack of air. I just glared at him and he couldn't hold it in any longer.

The rest of the dinner went like that, telling funny stories and people getting embarrassed. By six-thirty everyone had finished eating. The four who hadn't help make the dinner ended up doing all the dishes, but we still helped clear the table for them.

We all stayed up watching television until ten, when most of the parents started to go to bed, so the couples all split off to their designated sleep arrangements.

The parents mostly trusted the couples to be in the rooms together since we were all adults. I was staying with Edward in his room.

I threw on his shirt that I had grown accustomed to wearing as pajamas and crawled into the comfortable bed. Edward was sleeping in just his nice blue boxers. I felt my breathing get uneven just looking at him. He crawled in beside me cuddling close and taking a deep breath from my hair.

"Mm. You smell delicious. And have I ever told you how adorable you look in my clothes?" he whispered seductively.

"N-no. Yo-You haven't." I said trying to keep my cool.

"Well you do." he said, sliding his hand from my thigh, up my side and under the shirt, holding onto my waist.

My breath hitched and I mentally begged him to touch more of me, but then my conscious kicked in. Stupid Jiminy Cricket.

"Ed-Edward. We need to no-not do this to-tonight." I managed to get out as I felt his hand sliding more higher towards my breasts.

"But, I thought you wanted to test our boundaries." he whispered against my neck, placing sweet kisses all along it.

"Don-Don't get me wrong, I definitely do. B-but, not anywhere n-ear our parents." I managed to get out, finally able to move away from the temptation that was Edward.

"That's fine, love. We can always pick this up at one of our homes when we get back." he said, kissing my cheek and settling into my side.

I sighed contentedly and tried to fall asleep, while images of where that little situation could have led, filled my mind and my dreams. Oh I wonder what I would say in my sleep tonight.

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**A/N: Woo! 14 pages! :D I had to give Jake some lovey-dovey time and help calm him down. Yes, I hate the nickname Nessie in Breaking Dawn, but it fits for a dog more than Renesmee does. Hope you enjoyed their rain playtime and the Thanksgiving dinner story. Sorry if it wasn't really funny. I wasn't very creative. :/ Also, hope you enjoy sexually frustrated Edward and Bella. It may pick up next chapter. Not sure yet. Have other stories to work on. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Hope you guys liked it. You know what to do. R&R! :D**


	11. Beyond the Boundaries

**A/N: Warning: This chapter is changing the stories rating to M. Hope you enjoy their boundary testing. :P**

**I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 11: Beyond the Boundaries  
**

**BPOV**

I could not wait to get home. That whole weekend had been complete torture with Edward teasing me at every chance he could, making me anticipate getting home so much more. What looked like casual bumps or playing footsies, was actually secret swipes at me. He would bump into me, his arms grazing my breasts. If I had thought only his hand left trails of fire, his foot brushing up and down my leg at the breakfast table nearly made me want to jump him there.

I was practically bursting as we pulled up to the front of the house. Emmett, Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper hadn't even left Edward's parents house yet, being asked to spend one more day with their parents. My mom and dad had to get back to work, so Edward and I were home-free.

I put Jake in his cage. He was sulking again about not getting to see Nessie, so he didn't try to protest or whine. As soon as I turned around, Edward was behind me.

"Oh! You scared me!" I said breathlessly, placing a hand over my ever-rising heart rate.  
"Did I now?" he said in a smooth, seductive voice.

My knees threatened to give out, as he stepped closer, placing his arm around my lower back, holding me steady.

Before I could even calm my heart, his lips were attacking mine hungrily, send my heart fluttering even more. I immediately parted my lips so that I could taste him more. His tongue swirled around mine, dancing with it, leaving me in a daze. I was vaguely aware that he was walking us towards my room.

My legs complied easily, moving us ever closer to my now inviting bed. We fell onto it, never breaking the kiss, with a small bounce of the mattress. I giggled against his lips, as he pulled me onto him more and slid comfortably onto the bed.

I could feel him pressing against me through his pants. It made me blush and I started to wonder where this was going to go. I wanted it to go somewhere, I just wasn't sure if I would be able to stop him, or if I'd even want to when it got to that point.

I slowly broke the kiss, trying to reach down and tug on his shirt to take it off. He sat up slightly and pulled it off quickly. I was in shock at how much more gorgeous he looked without a shirt, though I'd already seen it several times. I wondered if I'd ever stop being dazzled by the very sight of him.

His pale, smooth chest felt soft under my touch. I ran my hand down his torso, stopping at the top of his pants. I felt him twitch beneath me and blushed again. He smiled mischievously and slid his hands down my shoulders and back to the hem of my shirt. I sat up slightly and allowed him to pull it off. He did it painfully slow.

He looked at my now exposed upper body reverently, in awe. His hand came up to lightly trace the side of my neck, following my collarbone, sliding his finger down to the valley between my breasts. His touch gave me tingles, and I shivered in response. He smiled at my reaction and reached around to unhook my bra. He looked at me, as if asking my permission. I paused quickly, but nodded for him to continue.

The bra was off in one swift motion. He had only used one hand!

"Are you sure you don't have experience in this department, Mr. One-hand?" I asked incredulously.  
"Absolutely none at all. Guess I'm just a natural." he said flashing that crooked grin and a wink before he slid the straps of my bra down my arms.

I lifted my arms so that he could take it off completely. He looked shocked, and happily so. He slid his hands to where I had longed for them to be all weekend. He groped me carefully, reveling in the feel. His hands sent electric shocks though my body. I felt myself leaning more into his hands, begging for more of his delicate and amazing touch.

He complied by running his thumb across my nipples, immediately making them harden before his very eyes. I groaned at the feel of it, feeling a dull ache between my legs. The feeling surprised me, but I knew I wanted more of him, needed more of him.

I felt my hips rock once against him, feeling him through his pants still creating an amazing feeling at my center. My eyes flew open in shock from the sensation. I looked at him to see that his eyes were shut and his jaw was clenched.

"God, Bella, I want you so bad." he said, groping my breasts roughly.

I moaned loudly and rocked my hips once more. He moaned in return and I slid my hands back down to the top of his pants. He released my breasts and pulled me to his side so that we were laying face-to-face.

I slid my hand further down, rubbing my hand across the screaming bulge in his jeans.

"Bella, oh, you have no idea what you do to me." he said through clenched teeth.

He slid his hand down my side, reaching over to my backside, squeezing gently. His hand then slid to the front to slide down my front, cupping my sweet, heated center. Just him being there caused me to react. I ended up squeezing him where my hand was still placed and he let out a throaty growl. He let out a muffled "Bella," before he started to rub a finger across my bundle of nerves through my jeans.

My body immediately started to speed up his slow rhythm, begging him for more. I slid my hand back up his jeans and started to undo the button. I was unzipping his pants, when a sound interrupted us, startling us both. We sat bolt upright listening for the sound again.

It was Jake. I heard a light yelp from the kitchen. That was his signal for "I gotta pee." Edward and I both groaned. I pulled on my shirt, not bothering with my bra, reluctantly sliding off the bed.

"I'll be right back. Don't move a muscle." I threw over my shoulder, as I walked over to Jake.

I walked into the kitchen and slid the cage door open, letting Jake run out and over to the sliding glass door.

"Always someone there to ruin a perfectly good moment." I grumbled as I opened the door and stepped outside with Jake.

He quickly did his business and I put him back away, running back to my room.

"Back." I said excitedly.

Edward was still laying in the same spot, just as I had left him. He looked back over his shoulder, smiling at me. He motioned for me to join him with his index finger.

I flung myself onto the bed beside him. Attacking him with my mouth, kissing him feverishly. He responded quickly, flipping me onto my back and fighting for dominance. I eagerly granted it, wanting things to accelerate between us.

He reached down to take off my shirt once more and I shimmied my way out of it quickly. There was no time for waiting. I put my hands to the top of his pants once more and I started to slide down the already unzipped jeans. He helped me by wiggling out of them and kicking the last of them onto the floor.

He quickly made work of taking off my jeans.

"I have to make it fair. You have too many clothes on." he said as he slid my pants down and off my ankles.

The feelings of our nearly naked bodies together made me shudder in yet-to-be-felt pleasure. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and my legs around his hips. He pushed his erection against me, moaning loudly as he leaned down to kiss me again. I slid my hands across the planes of his back, using my nails to trail lines down his spine. I rested my hands on his perfect butt, smiling against his lips.

He smiled in return and lifted me up with one hand, pressing us closer together. I threw my head back in pleasure, as my body screamed for more attention. The dull ache from before was becoming more noticeable. I was sure he could feel the wetness pooling in my panties.

He reached between us and ran one finger underneath the edge of my panties, causing me to buck my hips against him hard. He rubbed himself against me again before slipping his hand fully beneath the thin layer of clothing separating our naked bodies. His fingers slid lower, searching for the, now throbbing, ache between my legs.

I pushed myself against his hand, feeling the rough skin of his fingertips stroke my bundle of nerves. I arched my back at the feeling, but immediately grew cold and started hyperventilating as the doorbell rang.

Edward immediately pulled his hand away, jumping off the bed in search of his shirt and jeans. I frantically tried to put all my clothes on in the correct order, my hands shaking horribly. Edward was ready before me and since his hair always looked messy, he went to answer the door, just as I slid my shirt over my head and buttoned up my jeans. I breathed a sigh of relief at not getting caught and went into the bathroom to straighten out my hair.

"So! What were _you two_ up to?" Alice suddenly said from beside me.

I jumped and let out a screech.

"Oh Jesus, Alice. You can't do that! Heart failure runs in my family!" I said, placing my hand over my heart, trying to control it's frantic beating and my breathing.

"Hmm, seems suspicious. I'll let you off this time, but next time, you're spilling." she said with an evil glint in her eye as she skipped merrily out of the room.

_Evil, little know-it-all._ I thought to myself, as I grumbled about a perfect moment being sorely interrupted, for the second time in one day.

I felt two arms slink their way around my waist before I saw that it was Edward in the mirror.

"What's got you all shaken up, love?" he purred in my ear.

"Alice. She snuck up on me. That and she ruined a perfectly good...situation." I said, trying to decide on a word that would fit. It still didn't sound right, but he understood me and that was enough.

"It's okay. Who said we can't get back to where we were later?" he whispered, nipping playfully at my earlobe.

I felt my knees give out and I slumped into his grasp. He chuckled as he uprighted me against him.

"Listen, Bella, I've had this plan for this little dinner date at my apartment and was wondering if maybe we could have it sometime next week?" he asked me, bringing me out of my thoughts of where things could've gone.

"Huh—what? Oh, sure. Sounds great. It's just at your place, right? Nothing fancy? No surprises?" I asked after the words sunk in.

"Uh, sure. Yeah. Nothing fancy. Just a little dinner at my house, for just the two of us." he said uneasily.

I shrugged it off.

"Sure. I'd love to." I said, smiling at him in the mirror, as I returned to taming my tangles.

He smiled back and placed a tender kiss at the edge of my jaw and walked out to the family room.

When I finally joined him in the front room, making sure I was thoroughly calm and straightened out, I found only Alice and Emmett sitting in the living room, chatting with Edward.

They immediately stopped talking when I entered the room. _What are they up to?_

I walked over cautiously and took a seat next to Edward.

"Sooooo...what's up guys? Where's Jazz and Rose?" I asked, trying to get them to start talking again.

"Rosalie had to take Nessie to the groomers for her mom and Jazz had to study for a History final. Like he really needs to..." Alice added to herself.

"Oh. So, what were you guys talking about before I came over here?" I asked tentatively, scanning their faces for any kind of reaction.

Emmett grinned his goofy grin and Alice smacked him in the chest.

"Just some Christmas break plans. You know, the semester is almost over and Christmas is coming soon. Just trying to plan early." She said trying to diffuse whatever Emmett had been about to spill.

"Uh-huh. Interesting. So what plans have you come up with?" I said, trying to get as much information as I could.

"The usual. Get together with the fam. Hang out here. Maybe ice skating or something?" she said, not fazed by my prying words.

I nodded and gave up on my quest for juicy information.

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The last two weeks of school passed in a blur with papers, presentations, and tests galore. I passed all my classes with A's and B's, but now I was worried about their "plans" for the break. I had tried to bring it up more, but Alice was always ready to dodge the answer I was searching for. It's like she knew when I was gonna ask.

It was a Friday night, and I had been working, as usual. I raced home, since tonight was supposed to be Edward's and my date night. I was somewhat worried about tonight. We were having an official date since the last time we had tried getting anywhere physically. Part of me rejoiced at the thought of possibly testing those boundaries some more, while another part was worried he would reject me.

_What if he doesn't want to do anything like that? What if this is just another date?_ I thought worriedly. Well, I knew it couldn't be just _some_ date, for two reasons. One being, it's Edward Cullen. The other being, I had this gut feeling tonight was important for us. I truly hated surprises.

I pulled into the driveway and ran to my room. I jumped frantically in the shower, scrubbing my hair as quick and efficient as possible. I was out within a matter of minutes and quickly dried off so I could wrap the towel around myself and decide what to wear. When I walked into my room, an outfit was already laid out, accessories and shoes included.

I raised my eyebrows in shock, but then realized Alice must've had it set out and I just hadn't noticed it in my run towards the shower.

The outfit was cute, yet simple. A simple, black dress, with short, cap sleeves, and an empire waist. It was paired with electric purple tights, black Mary Jane shoes, a black trench, and a matching set of purple, knit gloves and scarf. I only put the dress on for now, so that I could freely blow-dry my hair. Again, as if on cue, Alice popped in and herded me into the bathroom, onto the stool.

She smiled, as she plugged in the hairdryer and a curling iron. She worked slowly, urging on my fear that tonight was important.

"So, Alice. You're being unusually careful tonight." I said, deciding to break the silence.

"Just want you to look extra special for your date, Bella. Never know what'll happen." she said not looking up from my hair that she was now curling into soft spirals.

"Oh, do you know what's going to happen? You're sure suspicious." I said, hissing as I felt the curling iron get extremely close to my scalp.

"No idea what you're talking about, Bella. You might not want to move, you'll get burned." she said, not meeting my eyes again, as she kept at her task.

I sat still from then on, scared of the devilish little girl.

Soon she was finishing by placing the last curl behind my ear. She covered my eyes and sprayed hairspray all over. I started coughing from the smell, but when the smoke cleared I looked in the mirror. My hair looked cute, but before I could even get up, Alice plopped a cute black, knit beret on top, pinning it in place with bobby pins.

"Now, I think you can do your own make-up, yes?" she said, when she had positioned the hat just right.

"Yeah. Thanks so much Alice. I love it." I said, smiling at her in the mirror.

"You're welcome. Have a fun night. Be careful." she said, winking at me and smirking as she left the bedroom.

I did my make-up, then got on my laptop to check my e-mail while I waited for Edward. Right when I sat down, my phone buzzed with a text.

_Go upstairs and look down at the street._ said the text from Edward. I made my way upstairs and opened the blinds. On the ground below me, in sidewalk chalk, was a huge writing of "I love you, Isabella Marie Swan" in perfect script letters. It was beautiful, yet cute at the same time. I ran downstairs and out the front door. I jumped straight into Edward's arms, nearly knocking him to the ground. I covered him in kisses until he said something about not being able to breathe and I just hugged his neck, while he held me, whispering "I love you, too Edward Anthony Cullen. I love you, too" over and over again.

I suddenly remembered I was still in a dress and jumped down from him, blushing like crazy. I took his hand and went back inside to grab my things. He stood at the door, waiting for me patiently.

I went into my room, jumped into my tights, stepped into my shoes, threw on my jacket, scarf, and gloves, and walked back out to him. He took my arm and we went out to his car. When we got to his apartment complex, he took me inside and straight out to the backyard area.

What I saw made my jaw drop. I just stood there staring like a fool at what he had set up.

The backyard had only two trees near each other, but they were covered in twinkling Christmas lights. Beneath the web of lights, was a small table. It was covered in a deep red tablecloth, with tall, white candles in the middle and two place settings. To the sides were two comfortable looking chairs. Next to the table, there was a small glowing pond, with various flowers floating around the edges. I stood there speechless, gazing at the setup.

"Edward, how did you do all of this?" I managed to get out, barely above a whisper. I turned to him and he was rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, looking like a disheveled masterpiece.

"Well, I got permission to dig in the backyard, so I dug a hole large enough for a kiddie pool, spray painted the kiddie pool electric blue, and put in a small light so that it would reflect the water in a prettier color, then put the kiddie pool in the hole. Then, I filled up the kiddie pool, picked some flowers at a nearby meadow that I love to go to, cut off their stems and let them float around the 'pond'. Then I set up this table out here with candles and two chairs for us to have a private dinner that I made myself. Do you like it?" He rambled on nervously, fear of rejection in his sparkling, emerald eyes.

I stood there, in shock and awe, amazed that he would do something like this for me.

"Edward. This is absolutely amazing. You do way too much for me. I'm a simple girl." I said smiling reassuringly at him. His shoulders instantly relaxed and he pulled me into a warm hug, kissing the top of my head.

"Okay, go take your seat. I'm going to bring out dinner." he said, now bubbling with energy, as he practically ran into the kitchen.

I took a seat in one of the chairs, noticing one of those heat lamps were beside each tree trunk, keeping me warm at the table. Edward emerged from the sliding glass door, carrying two salads on a tray with two glasses of a steaming liquid. He looked sexy as a waiter, even if he wasn't dressed the part. He was still dressed nicely, in a thick, fluffy, charcoal gray sweater with a white button-up underneath and nice, black jeans. He set down the food. We both dug into our salads and were quickly ready for the next course. He made his way back into the kitchen with the tray of empty plates and quickly re-emerged with different food. He set the tray down, so I could see what it was. It was the same dinners we had on our first date. I smiled at him across the table, as he raised his glass of warm, apple cider to me.

"A wonderful dinner, for a wonderful girl." he said smiling his crooked grin and tapping his glass to mine.

I blushed and took a sip of the delicious drink. We ate silently, not knowing what to say. There wasn't pressure to talk, but I still pondered on something I could bring up. I was already almost done with my plate, and so was he. Right as I was about to bring up plans for Christmas, he cleared his throat.

"Did you like it?" he asked, his eyes glowing gold in the flickering light of the candles that had melted to half their height.

"Yes. It's wonderful. You really didn't have to go through all this trouble, though." I said after I finished chewing my last bite of ravioli.

"It was no trouble at all." he said, grinning at me.

"But you had to cook two different dinners and you set up this backyard and—" I was interrupted by his laughter.

"Bella, Bella, Bella. I got this meal from the place we first went on our date, so no cooking there. I only made the salad and brewed the cider. Oh and I made dessert." he said turning thoughtful, but then came back to the conversation. "But Jasper and Emmett actually helped me with the backyard, while you were at work."

I just sat there gaping at him like a deer in the headlights. "Bella, you'll catch a fly, if you don't close your mouth, love." he said chuckling at my facial expression. I snapped my mouth shut and sent him a glare.

"And here I thought you had made this all by yourself." I said.

"And here you said I shouldn't have gone through so much trouble. But you find out I didn't and now you're mad at me?" he said chuckling at me again.

"Well, not mad. I don't know. More like I feel like it was a big trick." I said, smiling to myself.

"Oh, yes, love. I did all of this just to trick you into letting me in to your pants." he said winking at me.

"Keep it up, you might get your way." I mumbled, looking down at my empty plate and blushing.

"Really now?" he said mostly to himself.

He got up from his chair and took the plates away once more and emerged with drink refills and our dessert. Instead of sitting back down, he stood next to my chair. The next thing he did left me speechless and in total shock.

He pulled me out of my chair, got down on one knee and held out a small box for me.

"Isabella Marie Swan, in this box, I hold my heart. It is a promise ring. It means that I promise my heart, my love, my soul, to you and only you. It also means that I promise to one day replace it with a real engagement ring, and even later, a wedding ring, when I will get to call you my wife and truly claim you to be mine, forever. I didn't get you an engagement ring, yet, because I want to earn the money for it on my own, without the help of my parents, to show that I will work hard to earn and keep your love. Please accept this ring, as a token of my love." He said, opening the box and looking deep into my eyes with a look of determination, love, and happiness.

I stood there speechless, feeling the familiar lump in my throat signifying the happy tears that would soon by flowing freely down my cheeks.

"Yes, Edward. Of course. I just wish there was a way for me to claim you." I said giggling through my tears of joy.

He stood up and wrapped his arms around me before stepping back to put the ring on my hand. When he had completed his task, he wiped the tears from my face and picked me up in his arms and swung me around. We went to sit back down at our makeshift date table and I admired my ring.

It was a small, silver ring. It had a heart-shaped emerald in the middle with two wing-shaped diamonds on the sides of it. It was beautiful and the green stone in the middle would always remind me of Edward's soulful, loving eyes.

We ate our dessert together. He often would feed me pieces of the chocolate mousse from his spoon. I giggled a lot and as the flames on the table diminished, my flames of lust were picking up. I could see the same feelings flicker across Edward's gaze from across the table, his eyes often resting on the ring on my finger and then coming up to meet my eyes again.

When we had finished the dessert, he cleared the table, by placing everything onto the tray and into one hand, taking my hand is his free one.

He set the tray down in the kitchen and before I could even process what was happening, his lips were attacking mine. They tasted like chocolate and mint and Edward. It was delicious. My hands wound their way into his hair, pulling him closer to me, trying to eliminate all space between us. We stumbled backwards towards the couch, his lips leaving a blazing hot trail down my neck.

My heels were kicked off before I could cause any permanent damage to either of us and we fell backwards onto the couch, his body hovering over mine in a protective stance. I released one hand from his hair and slid it down to his back, pressing him down. I needed to feel him against me, feel the weight of him on top of me.

I slinked my way out of my jacket and threw my scarf on the coffee table. He broke the kiss and yanked his sweater over his head. I smiled at him and ran my hands down his chest, bringing them back up to slowly unbutton his shirt. As I slowly made my way through all six of the buttons, he was rubbing his hands across the sides of my thighs, up and under my dress.

His warm hands were now on the bare skin of my waist, sliding his fingers under the top band of my tights, as I slid the shirt off his shoulders. I let him take the tights off, lifting my hips to make it easier, only causing me to rub up against him. He paused and bit his bottom lip. It was the single most sexy thing I had ever seen.

I attacked him at this point, sliding my tights off faster, reaching for his pants with fumbling fingers, trying to undo his belt and zipper. He got what I was going for and slid my dress over my head. He hissed in delight as he buried his face in the valley between my breasts, leaving wet kisses along the way.

I pushed his pants down his hips, accidentally taking his boxers halfway down with him. We both froze and I blushed crimson. I could see almost the entire delicious V of his hipbones. He smiled mischievously at me, kicking off his pants and not bothering with the boxers, allowing me to make the choice.

I slid my hand down between us and started to pull the boxers down slowly, afraid of hurting him, with the way his member was graciously saluting me. I lifted them up and over it, allowing it to spring free. I gasped in shock and utter lust at the sight before me. I could feel the wetness in my panties practically seeping through.

My hand found its way back over and took a firm grasp of him, or at least as much as I could get a hold of. He let out a throaty moan, as I slowly started a pumping rhythm. His hands gripped the couch cushions, urging me to move faster. I complied, and soon I was actually having fun with it. I made it a game to see how fast I could go, pumping ever faster, feeling him get closer and closer to the edge.

Right as he was on the cusp, he lifted one hand and with one swift motion, pulled his boxers up and around it, not letting his orgasm drip all over the couch as evidence. The face of pure pleasure while he rode it out made me want to take him right then and there.

When it had finished pulsing, he reached down to me, teasing me through the thin fabric of my panties. I was sure he could feel the wetness dripping through.

"Oh Bella, you're ready for me." he said giving me a sly smile, as his hands ventured under the fabric.

His finger slid across the slick slit and I moaned his name in pleasure. This feeling was so new to me and it was completely amazing. I wondered why I had never tried it before.

His hand started a steady rhythm, circling around and over my swollen nub, dipping carefully into my center to re-coat his fingers with my juices. I could feel the tension pooling in the pit of my stomach, dragging me higher and higher to this extremely new and extremely pleasurable feeling.

"Faster..." I breathed out, and he complied readily, keeping up a steady, faster rhythm.

I gasped as I felt myself teetering on the edge. Just on the brink of something beautiful. My toes curled, my stomach tensed, my back arched, and there I went. I spiraled into my first, ever, orgasm. I gripped the cushions, but when I could not get a firm grasp, they found their way to Edward's hair, tangling themselves in the bronze mess, pulling him closer to me as my body convulsed in complete and utter pleasure.

My lips searched for his haphazardly, unable to see through the stars shining across my vision. They finally found his, just as I was coming down from my phenomenal, orgasmic high. I lay on the couch, out of breath, sweat beading on my forehead and all across my back.

Edward picked me up, and our clothes and took me upstairs to his room. He laid me on the bed gently, while I felt like curling up to sleep.

"I'll be right back. Gonna go clean up. Don't move." he said, walking into his bathroom with a fresh set of boxers.

I reached around the bed with half-lidded eyes, finally feeling a shirt. It was Edward's but I put it on anyways and laid back down on the bed. When I was drifting into sleep, I heard the bathroom door click open and a groan from Edward.

"God, I love you in my clothes." he whispered into my ear, as he slid into the spot on his bed beside me.

"Love you, too." I said groggily, a sleepy smile overtaking my face.

"Sleep, my Bella. I'll be right here beside you. Forever and always." he said, kissing me shoulder and snuggling into my side.

I drifted to sleep finally, happy and content.

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**A/N: Okay so I hope I didn't just lose a bunch of readers with this chapter, but you had to see that something was coming [no pun intended], I mean it is Edward and Bella. I hope I didn't horribly butcher the sexual scenes either. I'm not too confident in my lemony skills. Feedback would be great. Negative included, as long as it is constructive. Please don't just say you suck, I hate you, but tell me what I did wrong. It would help me in future chapters and stories. Thanks for those who are sticking with me. I have 148 alerts, so it'd be nice to see at least a handful of reviews for this chapter. It was 11 pages. Sorry for the long wait. Hope you liked it. R&R please :D**

**-DL**

**P.s. You can find pictures of their date outfits on my myspace: http//www(dot)myspace(dot)com/delilahlovett and if you decide to add the site as your friend, please specify who you are in the little message box. Thanks. :D  
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	12. Oh, Emmett and Your Big Mouth

**A/N: So I got some cool ideas from some PMs from ** ** and **serenade . for . the . obscure. **and **mrz . edwardanthonymasencullen** and decided to try and cover some of the ideas they sent. Hope I did them justice and thanks for sending me things to use! You might see more of their ideas in future chapters :D P.s. I'll explain my sorta hiatus at the end of the chapter.**

**I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.**

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**Chapter 12: Oh, Emmett and Your Big Mouth  
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**BPOV**

I woke up in the bed feeling oddly warm, yet alone. I flipped onto my back, rubbing the crusties that had formed in the corners of my eyes. There was a thick, soft, Afghan blanket wrapped around me, but Edward was missing.

I looked around the room frantically, but immediately calmed when I heard the shower running. I heard a muffled humming noise coming from the bathroom. He was singing to himself.

I slipped out of bed, noticing I was still in just his shirt. I blushed at memories of last night's activities. I tip-toed over to the bathroom door and pressed my ear against it. I barely made out the lyrics to "Endlessly," our song. I smiled and listened harder, straining to hear his melodious voice. Apparently, the song had come to an end, since I heard no more singing and the shower shut off.

To avoid being caught, I ran back to the bed, throwing myself across the covers and quickly nestling myself beneath the blanket again. I shut my eyes, just as the door to the bathroom clicked open, but I was sure he could hear my extremely rapid heartbeat and quick, short breaths.

He padded out slowly, stopping just past the doorway to shut off the light and fan. I stole a peek and caught a glimpse of his hair glistening from the water droplets. Some of them dropped to his chest, sliding sensually down the marble skin, flowing over his toned abs, and finally disappearing into the towel that was loosely wrapped around his hips.

I quickly pinched my eyes shut, trying to keep from running to him and repeating some of our newest activities, maybe adding a few new tricks to the list. I heard him walking towards the bed, so I tried to relax my eyes and steady my heartbeat, which lurched out of time, when I felt the bed sag beneath his weight. He was sitting next to my stomach.

"You're a terrible actress, love." he said into my ear, chuckling under his breath.

I let out a disgruntled sigh, throwing my arms out of the covers and peering at him through one eye.

"And here I thought you couldn't look cuter." he said, leaning down to kiss me.

He smelled minty fresh, as his sweet breath fanned out across my lips. I immediately placed a hand over my mouth, making his mouth meet my hand instead of my lips. He pulled back and frowned, his brows furrowing together.

"Mrrng brff." I mumbled through the hand that still covered my mouth.

"Come again?" he said smirking and turning his head to the side, cupping a hand around his ear as if he was hard of hearing.

I let out another sigh and uncovered my mouth.

"I said morning—" I was cut off by his lips molding to mine.

His kiss was even more delicious than it smelled. He tasted like mint and marshmallow and a taste that could only be described as Edward.

"Breath." I finished, ironically out of breath when he finally broke the kiss.

"Tasted fine to me." he said winking and walking over to his dresser.

He opened up the top drawer.

"Oh. You can take a shower. Alice dropped off some clothes for you. They're already in the bathroom." he said, not turning from the drawer he was rummaging through.

I made my way back over to the bathroom again, but just as I was halfway through the doorway, I heard the distinct sound of his towel hitting the floor. It took everything in me not to turn around and steal a glance at all the glory that was Edward.

I walked fully into the bathroom and shut the door, slumping against it. I needed to keep my hormones in check before I ended up jumping the poor guy.

I calmed down and took a quick shower. I found the fluffy sweater and skinny jeans Alice had dropped off. The outfit wasn't what bothered me about the clothing laid before me. It was the underwear that was supposed to go underneath.

They were a deep, royal blue and all lace. You could see right through them.

I looked at the sad excuse for underwear contemptuously, but finally slid them on instead of going commando. _Like these make much of a difference. _I thought, as I slid on the rest of the outfit.

I walked out to the smell of French toast and bacon. I followed the smell to the kitchen. I looked along the wall, as I descended the stairs. It was covered in pictures I had never noticed before. They must've recently put them up.

There were several of a beautiful little blond girl chasing, hanging out with, and hugging my familiar-faced bronze haired boy. Even through the old pictures, his eyes shined like emeralds.

Further down the wall were two blond kids, a boy and girl, running around a farm and dressed in similar outfits. Next to some of those were more recent pictures.

There was a picture of a young girl hugging Edward around the hips, the only place she could reach. He looked not much younger than he did now, in the picture. He still had that ever-present crooked grin, but his eyes were dulled by the black and white development of the image.

I continued my journey down the stairs once I had finished inspecting the wall of family history. I saw Edward in the kitchen, in just jeans that rode low on his hips, exposing his lime green, checkered boxers. He was dancing to some unknown beat in his head, as he cooked the delicious bacon.

I giggled at the sight and made my way directly behind him.

I wrapped my arms around his torso, peering around his arm to see what all he was cooking. The bacon sizzled and popped, filling the kitchen with it's bacon-y scent. I saw a heaping plate, next to the stove, of several pieces of French toast.

"Feeding an army?" I asked teasingly.

"Feels like it." he chuckled and continued, "but no. Your friends are coming over for breakfast with Rosalie and Jasper. I know Emmett can eat. I saw him at Thanksgiving."

I chuckled and grabbed plates from the cupboard above the sink.

"When should they be here? I'll set the table." I said, walking over to their small, dining table.

"Well, Alice and Jasper have been here, but they went for a walk. They should be back in about 10 minutes. As for the other two, I heard from poor Jasper that they were up to late night activities, but not what you'd think." he said, shooting me a solemn glance over his shoulder.

"What do you mean, then?" I inquired, putting the last plate in its place.

"He means they were up yelling each other's name all night, but not in a good way." Jasper said walking through the sliding glass door, yawning.

"Jesus! What is it with you people sneaking up on me? I'm gonna have a heart attack one of these days and you'll only have yourselves to blame." I said, taking deep breaths to calm myself.

"Oh calm down, Bella. But basically they were arguing. Apparently Emmett made one of his boneheaded remarks to Rose and she blew up on him." Alice said, walking in after Jasper, stretching her tiny arms over her head.

"Leave it to Emmett." I muttered, placing forks next to each of the plates.

When I went to grab napkins, Edward had finished the bacon and was putting it onto a napkin covered plate. There was also a bowl of scrambled eggs I hadn't noticed before. He walked them over to the table and set them down. I grabbed the French toast and napkins and placed them on the table. Jasper went to another cupboard and starting grabbing plastic cups for everyone, while Alice pulled out the orange juice and apple juice.

Edward grabbed his shirt that was draped over a kitchen stool and slid it on. I frowned a little at him covering up, but the shirt was still tight enough for my imagination to take over.

We all took our seats, just as the door swung open and Rosalie stormed into the apartment. She was followed by a sulking Emmett, one I had seen many times growing up around him and Alice throughout high school.

I decided not to touch the subject, let them work it out on their own.

Breakfast was awkward, to say the least. Rosalie and Emmett sat on opposite ends of the table, making the rest of us feel like the kids in the middle of our parents fight. As soon as we were done, we cleared the table quickly, eager to avoid the tense air that had settled in the room.

While I did the dishes, Edward cleared, Alice dried, and Jasper put the freshly cleaned dishes away. Emmett sulked on the couch, while Rosalie fumed on a kitchen stool. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie eye the pictures along the stairs, Edward, and then me. Her expression turned to sadness.

She met my glance and got up from the stool. I turned my gaze back back to the last few dishes, hoping she wasn't getting up to talk to me. She already didn't like me and I didn't need to deal with an angry Rosalie on top of that.

"When you're done, I need to talk to you." her voice came from behind me, tinged with sadness.

I turned to face her and met her pleading, blue eyes. I felt a pang of guilt in my heart for being scared of her.

"Sure, Rose. I'm almost done." I nodded at her, trying to take away some of the sadness, with the comforting tone of my voice.

She smiled weakly and gestured upstairs towards her room, as she headed for the stairs. I finished up the last few dishes and climbed up the stairs to talk to Rosalie. I walked into her room to see her sitting against her headboard, her arms wrapped around her knees.

"Hey, Rose. What did you need to talk about? No offense, but I thought you'd choose Alice to spill to, over me." I said, walking over to sit across from her on the bed.

"I need to explain a few things to you. I need to explain why I act so coldly towards you and why I'm mad right now. Well, I'm not actually mad, for starters, at least not at Emmett." she said, not looking up from her knees.

"Well I'm here to listen." I said, scooting on the bed, so that I was sitting next to her.

"In order to explain my behavior towards you, I have to explain my reaction to Emmett last night, first." she started.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He said something that triggered a bitter memory from my past and I got scared. It'll sound stupid until you hear the whole story, but he said, 'Come to Papa. I'll show you a good time.'" she said, sighing and rolling her eyes.

I knew it was serious, so I tried hard not to even crack a smile.

"It's okay, you can laugh. I know it sounds funny right now." she said calmly.

I started to laugh, but quickly regained my composure, so that she could continue her story.

"When I was younger, eighth grade, we had a family friend, named Royce King. He was a sophomore and the most popular guy in high school. He told me that if we dated, I would not only be the prettiest girl in school, but also the most popular, before I even went into high school. Of course, I was much more shallow then, and I believed him. I wanted to be envied, more than I already was." she paused, looking ashamed.

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and gave them a squeeze.

"One night, he snuck into my room. That's when he told me, 'Come to Papa. I'll show you a good time.' Like an idiot, I went along with him and he took me to his friend's basement. They were drinking and a couple of his friends held me down, while he and the others had their way with me. When they had all finished, they took me home, but left me on the front lawn, bleeding, exhausted, and with chunks of hair missing, where they had pulled it out forcibly." she said, starting to twirl the ends of her hair.

"Oh, Rose. I'm so sorry. I can see why it would have upset you." I said, rubbing circles on her left shoulder.

"In the morning, my mom found me on the lawn when she was leaving for work. I told her what happened and she gave me the morning after pill so I wouldn't have to carry any of the the jackasses' baby. We told the cops and Royce and his friends have been in both juvenile hall and jail, ever since. The night they were put away, we decided to move out here. We had already been visiting the Cullens on holidays and most summers. They were good friends with my mom's sister, Kate, and her husband Garrett. They had a daughter we used to play with all the time." Rosalie said, finally starting to lighten up.

I smiled at her encouragingly.

"I blew up at Emmett, because I was scared. Scared he would see me different. See me as dirty. See the ugly truth beneath the beautiful exterior. I did the only thing I've known to do. I got angry. I'm angry at myself for all those nights ago, but I make it seem like I'm mad at someone else to protect myself from heartache. I just don't know if Emmett would still accept me after I tell him, but I want to tell him. He's special to me and he makes me want to tell him everything so that he can love me completely, and I can love him completely." she said, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

I hugged her even closer, trying my best to comfort her. Her shoulders started to shake as she cried.

"I-I tried t-to play it o-off that I wa-was mad th-that he would tr-try to get so-something out of m-me, even though w-we have be-before." she hiccuped out.

I grimaced at the thought of them together, but luckily she didn't see that, so she continued on with her story. She managed to control her hiccups before she spoke again.

"The reason I chose to tell you is because this ties into Edward and seeing as how you're with Edward, you deserve to know why I act the way I do." she said, wiping her tears and turning towards me.

I looked at her, trying to convey without words that I was willing to listen to whatever she had to say.

"I had hoped, when we moved to Washington, that Edward could fix me. I never wanted him in _that_ way, but I needed the male attention, since we were all home-schooled together. I needed to know I could be accepted, after what happened with Royce. That someone could still see me as beautiful and look past the massive flaws. Edward never thought of me that way, so it was difficult to feel like I was healing. I knew I hadn't last night, when Emmett's words upset me, and even before that, when I grew angry at you." she said, begging me to understand with her eyes.

"Rosalie. I understand what it's like to want to feel accepted. For a while, in junior high, I tried to fit in with the 'popular crowd' but realized they weren't worth it. They just wanted me to change who I was for them, but I was happy with myself. Not that that is anywhere near as bad as your situation, but still. Just trying to identify with you." I said to her, shrugging.

She laughed shakily.

"Bella. Now I really need to explain things. You aren't as bad as I thought. You deserve Edward and everything he feels for you. You see, I didn't like you because I felt you didn't deserve his love and acceptance. If he couldn't accept me as more than a friend and comfort me the way I needed, why could he accept someone like you? Treat you the way I needed to be treated? No offense is meant. This is just how I used to think." she said looking sheepish about confessing.

"None taken." I said, wanting to hear whatever else she had left to say.

"I realize, now, that you are worth everything he feels for you. You are a good person. Even though I treated you so coldly, you still came up here to talk to me and sat here listening to my whole story, never looking like you wanted to just leave or wanted me to just shut up. I thank you for that. I almost missed out on a great friend." she said, turning to hug me.

I was surprised at the gesture, but hugged her back. She pulled away, wiping away the last remnants of tears from her eyes.

"You know, Emmett is my first boyfriend since the incident. I refused to date anyone, afraid that they would only be dating me for physical aspects. But then Emmett came along. He talked to me like a person. He didn't simply drool over me. He made me laugh. He made me feel warm and loved, so I thought I had healed. I think I healed now because what I really needed, deep down, was to tell someone about it and to let Edward go. So I really want to say thank you for helping me, in more ways than one." she said, hugging me one more time.

She pulled away, sighing.

"What's the matter?" I asked, concerned.

"Oh, nothing. Just think it's time I freshened up and we go downstairs. I need to apologize to Emmett." she said, getting up and walking to her bathroom.

I waited for her to come out, not sure if she had wanted me to leave or not, but when she came out, she looked relieved that I had stayed.

We made our way downstairs and she immediately walked over to Emmett, where he sat on the couch, still sulking, and I made my way over to Edward, who sat at the counter talking to Jasper and Alice.

"So my Aunt Kate and Uncle Garrett are coming down today. They're bringing you-know-who." Jasper said to Edward.

Edward groaned and I walked up to rest a hand on his back.

"Oh. Hey. How's Rosalie? Everything okay?" he asked me.

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Better, actually. So anyway, who's you-know-who?" I asked.

"Jasper's cousin. She's had a crush on me since she met me. She's cute and all, but she's like 14 or something and I have you, so yeah. Kind of a pain when she visits." he said, sounding exasperated at the very thought of the visit.

"Oh. By the way, where's Jake?" I asked, looking at Alice and Jasper.

"We dropped him off at Sam's place before we came. Mrs. Hale dropped off Nessie to play with him. Kate's allergic and they're visiting Jasper's parents first. They'll be by here around dinner." she said matter-of-factly.

I just nodded and leaned on Edward. From my spot, I could see the stairwell and my eyes drifted to the pictures.

"Edward. Come over here." I said, tugging Edward's shirt as I tried to make my way over to the pictures that I had looked at so many times today.

"What is it?" he asked when we stood in front of the many framed images.

"Who is in all of these?" I asked, waving my hand across the air in a sweeping motion.

"Well, most of these are Rosalie and I or Rosalie, Jasper and I. Jasper didn't like pictures much, so he was good at hiding from them. Rosalie always dragged me in. It was annoying." he said chuckling, as his eyes glanced at each of the images before him.

I turned to the image at the end of the stairwell. The one that was recently taken with a little girl.

"Who's that?" I asked, pointing at the picture.

"That's Jasper's cousin. It was taken about a year and a half ago. I hear she's actually grown about a foot taller and developed more since we last saw her. She's blond though, and I'm into brunettes." he said, smiling, as he tousled my hair.

I smiled back at him and we walked over to the couch. Emmett and Rosalie looked happy again, cuddled up and all smiles. I was glad to see things had worked out between the two of them.

Alice and Jasper quickly joined us and we settled in to watch some of the classic Christmas movies. It was still two weeks away, but December was basically the month of Christmas.

"A Year Without a Santa Claus," was on. I used to watch it all the time as a kid.

We watched in silence, simply enjoying the time spent together as friends and couples, glad that the tension seemed to have cleared.

The rest of the day went on like this, watching movies, sitting on the couch, talking about random subjects. We only got up to go to the bathroom, move positions, or to have someone go make snacks for everybody.

Before we knew it, we were interrupted while watching "Miracle on 34th Street," by the sound of the doorbell.

"Aunt Kate and the fam are here. Get the door Jazz." Rose said from the couch, sitting up and straightening her shirt.

I sat up, following Rose's lead. I heard the door squeak open and turned to see who the new visitors were.

There in the doorway, stood a very tall, very blond woman with slate-blue eyes. Next to her was a tall man, with a friendly grin that crinkled around his murky, green eyes and long, sandy blond hair tied back in a ponytail. Between the two, stood a tall girl, about 5'7", strawberry blond, with a thin frame and icy blue eyes.

"Hello, I'm Kate Caelan." the blond woman in back said, meeting my open-mouthed gawking stare, with a warm smile.

I snapped my mouth shut audibly and scrambled up from the couch to greet her and her family.

"Isabella. Isabella Swan, but I go by Bella." I said, shaking her hand gently.

"Well, hello, Bella. I'm Garrett Caelan. Kate's Husband." the man next to her said in a jovial tone, pulling me into a tight bear hug and chuckling heartily.

He reminded me of Emmett with his actions and build, though he was smaller than Emmett in girth, not that Emmett was fat in any way. He was so outgoing and friendly that I couldn't help smiling back at the man.

The tall girl from the middle stepped forward, looking directly at Edward.

"How nice to see you again, Edward." she said, in a surprisingly young sounding voice.

The sound of her voice threw me off, but Edward speaking up brought me back to reality.

"Bella, I'd like you to meet Tanya. Jasper and Rosalie's onl—cousin." Edward said, from beside me, sparking curiosity with his word mix-up.

He placed a hand on my low back and all curiosity disappeared, as I focused on what he had just said about actually greeting the intimidating girl in front of me.

_So this girl liked Edward. Why didn't he pick her? Geeze Louise. She's like a giant compared to me._ I thought, as I looked up at the girl. Her strawberry blond tresses in light waves around her pale, angular, yet soft face. I saw how piercing her icy, blue eyes could be, but there was a distinct emotion in her that was hidden beneath the obvious friendliness. She looked much older than fourteen, that's for sure.

She eyed me warily before she stuck her hand out for me to shake it. She looked somewhat sad seeing the close contact between Edward and me and I realized she must have been upset that I was his girlfriend, though it was beyond me why he had picked me over her.

"Very pleased to meet you, but Jasper, who is the little girl next to you, and who is the large boy behind you, Rosalie?" she asked, shifting her gaze to the two still standing beside the open door.

Jasper seemed to come out of some sort of dazed state, as he ushered Kate and Garrett in, finally shutting the door behind them. He didn't even have to encourage Alice to introduce herself, as she skipped over to Tanya.

If I had thought Tanya had towered over me, it was hilarious to see how she overshadowed tiny Alice. Alice remained undaunted and her usual energetic self.

"Hello. I'm Alice, Jasper's girlfriend." Alice said, pulling her into a hug as best she could, catching the tall girl off-guard.

She pulled away and eagerly greeted Kate and Garrett in the same manner. Garrett seemed happy to meet someone with as much spunk as himself.

Rosalie ended up having to drag Emmett over to greet her family since he seemed to be acting abnormally shy.

"Aunt Kate, Uncle Garrett, Tanya," she said looking at each of them as she addressed them, "This is Emmett Brandon. My _boyfriend_."

She stressed the word boyfriend and both her aunt's and Tanya's eyes lit up. They must've been glad that she was finally dating again.

Garrett immediately clapped Emmett on the back.

"Got your work cut out for you, boy. She's a feisty one." he said, letting out a throaty laugh and a friendly wink at Rosalie.

Emmett looked like he relaxed, and smiled, as he shook Garrett's hand. Emmett then took Kate's hand and kissed her knuckles.

Kate looked happily surprised, giving that same warm smile to him. He followed suit with Tanya, who giggled and blushed.

When Emmett turned around, she shot Rosalie a thumbs up and Rosalie winked at her.

We all finally made it back over to the living room, settling down on the large comfy couches. Garrett's happy smile kept the room from getting awkward, as we all settled in to continue our movie.

About a half hour into the movie, Emmett's stomach growled. We all laughed at it since Emmett could've eaten an entire meal only 20 minutes before and would still be starving.

"So what's for dinner?" Garrett asked, turning towards Edward.

"Um, how's pizza? I don't really feel like cooking." Edward said, rubbing the back of his neck and looking sheepish.

I couldn't help but smile at how cute he looked and I leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

He blushed and I saw a flash of strawberry blond hair out of the corner of my eye. I turned in time to see Tanya quickly turning back to the television, looking embarrassed.

"Pizza sounds good. Wouldn't want to put you though too much trouble during our short visit." Kate said.

"I'll go call it in. Alice, can you search for the coupons in that kitchen drawer?" Jasper said pointing to a drawer, as he got up from the couch to grab the phone and phone book.

She followed after him, while I turned to face Tanya. I needed to figure out what was going on with her. And more importantly, what she was to Edward.

"So Tanya, tell me about yourself. How old are you?" I asked, trying to spark a conversation, with a potential enemy.

"I'm actually, um, fifteen. And a half. Usually that's the time to get a driver's permit, but I already got mine. In Alaska, you only have to be fourteen." she said, looking unsure of why I would want to talk to her.

"Oh really? I thought you were older." I said taken aback.

"Oh, thanks! I always think I look too young." she said, smiling wide.

I smiled back at her, knowing there was no way she could be a threat, due to her age alone.

"How's Alaska? Do you like it?" I asked her, genuinely interested.

"It's nice. But it's far from here, so I can't visit my cousins often. I get lonely. I'm just glad they don't live in Texas anymore. That was too far, even though we always visited them at the Cullens' anyways." she said, shrugging and looking more relaxed.

"How long have you known Edward?" I asked.

"About five years. The first time we got to actually come out to the Cullens' was the year before Jasper and Rosalie moved up here." she said, blushing at the sound of his name.

I smiled at her, the way an adult does when he or she sees that a little girl has a crush on the little boy sitting only a few desks away at school, but is too afraid to admit it.

"You're lucky." she said, twiddling her thumbs, not meeting my eyes.

"I know. But someday you'll meet your own Edward. You'll be just as happy as I am. Heck, you probably won't even remember Edward, you'll be so in love." I said, rolling my eyes and laughing lightly.

She laughed with me and met my eyes.

"You really think so?" she asked.

"Yes. If it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody." I said, giving her a wink.

She rolled her eyes and smiled at me.

"Anyway, so you said you get lonely up in Alaska. Have you ever thought about asking for a sister?" I asked her.

There was a sharp intake of breath behind me. I immediately knew it was Edward and I slapped my hand over my mouth, not knowing what I had said wrong.

"It's okay Edward. She—she didn't know." she said looking down and sounding sad.

"I didn't mean to upset you." I said, slowly taking my hand away from my mouth.

"I had a sister. Irina. She was my twin. She died when we were two. She had been weak since birth and lung complications finally did it." she said, looking solemn, unable to make eye contact.

"Oh. I am so sorry. I didn't know." I said, looking down at my own hands.

"I know. That's why I don't mind telling you. But hey, let's not make this visit sad. It's about meeting new people and visiting old friends." she said, wiping her eyes that had grown watery.

I looked up and smiled weakly at her. She smiled back and from over her shoulder I could see Jasper and Alice walking back over.

"Well, the pizza is on the way and—geeze, why do you guys look like your dogs got ran over." Jasper said when he looked at Tanya and me.

"Hey, not cool. I have a dog and that is a worry I have. But no. It's over. No more sadness." I said, trying not to bring the subject back up.

The one thing I loved about Jasper is he knew when to leave well enough alone.

"Okay. Well I ordered an extra large pepperoni and a large combination. That sound good to everyone?" he asked, diverting people's attention from us.

"Yeah." was heard from everyone sitting in the room.

The pizza showed up and everyone pitched in to pay.

We all joked and ate and watched more movies. It was fun meeting the "sorta family." When it came time for them to leave, I felt myself actually get sad and anxious for them to come back and visit.

"Don't forget to come back and visit us. It was really nice to meet all of you." I said, as I hugged them each goodbye.

When I went to hug Kate, I felt a shock.

"Ow! Must've drug my socks on the carpet too much." I said, giggling.

"For some reason, I do that a lot to people. It's like I'm full of static. I'm a big electric ball!" she said throwing her hands up in a dramatic gesture, smiling at me when her arms were back at her side.

I smiled back and hugged her again.

Everyone else took their turns and we waved goodbye one last time.

When I shut the door, I immediately went to the front room to pick up.

"What are you doing? You always clean up, everywhere. We'll take care of it." Emmett said, smiling his goofy grin at me.

"Um. Okay. Whatever you say, Emmett." I said, chuckling and heading upstairs to Edward's room.

Edward quickly followed suit.

"So, what's the plan? Want to try out some more?" he said, suggestively wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I giggled and shook my head.

"Actually, I just came up here to get my stuff. I need to go pick up Jake and head home." I said, over my shoulder, as I walked into the bathroom.

"Oh, so you'd rather see Jake than have some more fun?" he said, feigning hurt, as I turned to face him with my dirty clothes in hand.

"Oh yes Edward. Like I'd ever pick a dog over you." I said rolling my eyes, and continuing, "By the way, would it have killed you to tell me that I had nothing to worry about with Tanya?"

His eyes about bugged out of their sockets.

"Tanya? Seriously? She's like fifteen! Why would I need to remind you that I only love you?" he asked with an incredulous tone.

"Um, maybe because she's only fifteen but has the body of an adult woman?" I said, the "duh" hinted in my tone.

"I'm sorry. But to be honest. I tend to prefer brunettes myself. So really. No worries." he said, smirking that thought-erasing smirk at me.

"Well, I, um. Oh, speaking of not liking anybody but brunettes, you turned down Rosalie?" I almost said instead of asking.

He looked almost shocked that I had brought that up.

"How did you know about that?" he asked, curiously.

"She told me. Today. When we were upstairs. She told me about Royce and why she didn't like me and what Emmett did wrong." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Really? She told you everything? Wow. She's never opened up to someone like that. She must have really felt like she needed to explain things to you." he said, almost to himself, since he spoke so softly.

I walked toward him and threw my clothes on the bed.

"All I have to say, is the fact that you chose me over _Rosalie Hale_ makes me all kinds of shocked and giddy." I said, pulling him into a hug.

He pulled away and looked at me with a funny expression.

"Giddy? Really? So should I just go around town, looking for 'hot chicks' and tell you how much I love you more than them, so that I can have my way with you after?" he said, sounding excited.

"Or, I don't know, you could just kiss me and see where that goes." I said, trying to be flirty and suggestive at the same time.

It worked.

He leaned down and kissed me. It started slowly, but as his hands roamed over my back and slipped under the back of my shirt, the kiss became more fervent and passionate.

Soon we were walking back towards his bed. After a few steps, the back of his knees hit it and he fell back onto his bed, taking me with him. We didn't break the kiss and his hands started slowly trying to inch my shirt up.

Both my hands found my way to his hair, and threaded through the soft, bronze locks.

I broke the kiss, gasping for air.

"Edward. As much as I would love to continue this. I really do need to go get Jake before the kennel closes. They'll just keep calling until I pick him up." I said, feeling sad that I didn't have the time to continue our lovely adventure.

"Okay. I understand. Can I come with you?" he asked, placing a chaste kiss on my lips.

"You are always welcome." I said, smiling at him and prying myself off of him, reluctantly.

He smiled and got off the bed with me. He picked up my dirty clothes and grabbed some of his own clothes, throwing them all in a duffel bag with some pajama pants.

When he was finished, he grabbed a few bathroom necessities, took my hand and walked downstairs with me.

"I'm gonna head out with Edward and pick up Jake. I'll see you guys at home?" I asked, putting on my shoes and jacket.

"We'll be home soon." Alice said, I assumed referring to herself and Jasper.

"I'm gonna stay here with Rose." Emmett said from the couch.

I nodded and left with Edward to get Jake.

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(Let's do the time warp again! Lol skipping ahead to Christmas time.)

For Christmas, our parents were actually coming up to our house. I had been able to pick up small presents for everyone, with my decent salary from the book store. I had even picked up a few dog treats and toys for Jake. I had made sure to get Edward something special enough to make up for the promise ring and what was sure to be another extravagant gift for Christmas.

Tanya and her parents were even going to come down to visit. I was happy to see her again. She had told Jasper and Rosalie that she was bringing a friend. Alice said she thought it would be a guy. I just laughed and hoped she was happy.

Alice, of course, had gone all out, getting stacks of presents, for everybody. I groaned every time I passed the tree that we had all decorated in the front room. Alice had also decided that we use different wrapping paper for whoever the present was for. It was easy to see, who had the most presents.

One thing I had to say for Alice, is she kept the numbering fairly even, trying to make sure no one felt left out. Of course, there were a few extra for Jasper, but that was expected.

The one thing I did do that was remotely fun and exciting, was make Edward's present into a sort of game. It was a promise ring for guys, a steel band with a diagonal line of three small diamonds, but I made the unwrapping part an adventure.

I had wrapped the small box in his specified paper and placed a tag on it. Then I found about ten or twelve more boxes of graduating sizes. I placed each box within the other with varying paper and tags, making sure the final box said Emmett. Emmett would get the most excited about a huge box just for him.

Alice actually didn't know about my plan, so I was excited to see her reaction when they finally got to the box that said her name. I could just imagine her excitement, and then disappointment, when she opened it to see Edward's name on the final box.

I hoped that he would like my present and not think it was stupid. I knew guys weren't much for jewelry, but as I had said when he gave me my ring, I wanted something to claim him with, and this was the best I could come up with.

I was vaguely worried about how much Edward had spent on me, not wanting him to spend too much, as he tended to do. I was brought out of my thoughts of what he possibly could've gotten me, by the sound of the doorbell. Our parents were here.

This would be a fun, giant Christmas.

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**A/N: Omg. Okay. So this chapter was killing me. It took me forever just to figure out what Emmett did to Rosalie. Then one day, Rose spilled the whole thing to me, but then I never had time to write it. Figures. Anyways, after Rose spilled to Bella, I got major writer's block on where to take it, so I took a break and started writing other things so I could come back to this with a blank outlook, hopefully allowing for an idea to pop-up. Which it did. I said, hey, why not bring in Tanya? So I did and then came Christmas, which'll be next chapter. I also had finals the last two weeks, so that was time consuming, but it's here and 14 pages. Hope you enjoyed it. Again, pictures can be found at my myspace. Just click the home button on my profile. R&R please.**


	13. Boytoys & Jewelry W A Side of New Years

**Title: **The Art of Online Dating

**Chapter 13: **Boytoys & Jewelry With a Side of New Years

**Rating: **M

**Summary:** Bella and Alice have just graduated from Forks High School. They decide to try eHarmony just before going off to college. Will they find Mr. Right?

**Type: **AH AU OOC; Pairing: Bella/Edward, Other Canon Pairings.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.

**A/N: **First and foremost, I would like to spread the news of Stephanie (Daddy's Little Cannibal's) death. She was an amazing author on this site and was killed in a drunk driving accident on May 8th. I only knew her online, but her death feels like a great impact on me. She was one of my inspirations for writing fanfiction and was a very fun person to talk to. She will be deeply missed and I hope that you all will read her stories to understand her and in remembrance. She put a little piece of herself into every story she wrote........Now, about this story. I know I have taken forever and I deeply apologize. I started writing this chapter back in the end of January trying so hard to get it out by March, then was met with lots of RL issues including school getting very hard, a baby kitten, and family issues. This chapter is very long and things are going to get a little different after this chapter. They've had a fairly easy time, which means that something is lurking. If you go back, you might be able to figure out who is involved. Hopefully you guys will stick with this story in its entirety and I will not abandon any of my stories. If I do there will be an AN, so if there is no AN in the story, then I am just super slow with the update. Thanks to those that stuck with me, and now, on with the story.

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_**FLASHBACK TO LAST CHAPTER:**_

_The one thing I did do that was remotely fun and exciting, was make Edward's present into a sort of game. It was a promise ring for guys, a steel band with a diagonal line of three small diamonds, but I made the unwrapping part an adventure._

_I had wrapped the small box in his specified paper and placed a tag on it. Then I found about ten or twelve more boxes of graduating sizes. I placed each box within the other with varying paper and tags, making sure the final box said Emmett. Emmett would get the most excited about a huge box just for him._

_Alice actually didn't know about my plan, so I was excited to see her reaction when they finally got to the box that said her name. I could just imagine her excitement, and then disappointment, when she opened it to see Edward's name on the final box._

_I hoped that he would like my present and not think it was stupid. I knew guys weren't much for jewelry, but as I had said when he gave me my ring, I wanted something to claim him with, and this was the best I could come up with._

_I was vaguely worried about how much Edward had spent on me, not wanting him to spend too much, as he tended to do. I was brought out of my thoughts of what he possibly could've gotten me, by the sound of the doorbell. Our parents were here._

_This would be a fun, giant Christmas._

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I opened the door and it felt like I had just opened up the door of a clown car. Relative, upon relative, walked through the door, bearing presents, food, and other assorted odds and ends. I saw my parents, Edward's parents, Alice's parents, Rosalie's parents, and even Kate, Garrett, and Tanya.

Connected to Tanya's arm was a shy-looking, cute, young man. Alice had been right. Tanya brought a boy toy. I smiled at her, as she walked in and she blushed.

I closed the door behind them and went to join everyone in the family room.

"Alright, who's ready for presents?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Ooh me! Me! Pick me!" Emmett said, raising his hand up high and practically bouncing where he sat.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. I'm passing out the presents this year." she said, as she walked over to the tree and picked up the closest present.

It was a present for her parents. The rest of the present passing went this way with an occasional canine interference by Nessie or Jake. They liked ripping up the paper and eventually we got to their presents, so they would leave ours alone. It was hilarious seeing Jake try to carry the bone that was bigger than his entire frame. Several times his back legs lifted off the ground.

Luckily, since we had started early due to the vast amount of family members, it took us almost three hours, putting us just in time to enjoy the dinner I had spent all morning preparing. We were down to the last handful and the puppies had wandered off somewhere in the house. I didn't pay attention because I was too worried about the presents still under the tree. One was mine for Edward and another was his to me. I didn't like presents and I was worried he had spent a lot of money on me. I was also worried about his reaction, but of course, he didn't even know it was his gift yet.

Alice pulled it and read the name on top. She handed it to Emmett, looking a little sad that the huge box wasn't for her.

"Ooh goody! This big box for me? Thanks Bella!" he said, quickly ripping off the paper and opening the box.

He pulled out the second box, looking at it with a confused expression. He read the tag several times before speaking up.

"Wait a minute. Why does this say Alice? I thought this was my present." he said, pouting, as he handed it back to the, now, very excited Alice.

"Sorry. Guess I forgot who it was for by the time I wrapped it up again." I said, trying to look convincingly innocent.

She just as quickly tore off the paper and opened the box to reveal yet another box. She seemed to understand what was going on and passed it on to the next person, giving them a look of, "just go along with it." They all just went along with the process, realizing it was a sort of game I had created.

I could see Edward's eyes light up every time a new box was revealed, but was disappointed when it wasn't for him. I was starting to feel guilty, until I realized we were only one away from his box.

"Here ya go, Carlisle." Jasper said, handing him the much smaller package.

He quickly opened it to reveal the final box.

"Alas, it seems it is for Edward." Carlisle said with a smirk, before handing it to the visibly excited Edward.

I bit my bottom lip in anticipation of his reaction. He opened it to reveal the small, velvet, ring box. He pulled out the ring and inspected it.

His smile took up his whole face, as he slid the ring onto his left hand ring finger. He turned to me and gave me a peck on the lips, before pulling me into a hug.

"Thanks, love." he whispered appreciatively.

"Last, but not least. To Miss Bella." Alice said, breaking up our love fest by handing me a rectangular box.

_Oh God. Jewelry. That means lots of money spent. _I thought, fighting a grimace, so that I didn't make Edward feel bad. It's not like he knew.

I unwrapped it to reveal a box definitely meant to hold jewelry. Inside was a beautiful necklace. It was a round, white gold locket with silver hearts facing up and down, filled with tiny diamonds. I opened it to see two tiny pictures. One of Edward and me, and another of Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie. It was beautiful and I fought the tears that pricked at my eyes. I still felt bad about the cost, but it was certainly a lovely gift.

"So, do you like it?" he asked me, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Wh—oh yes. It's beautiful. Thank you." I said, still looking at the small images in the necklace that had probably cost him a fortune.

From my peripheral view, I saw Alice shoot me a look. She knew I hated when people spent money on me or surprised me, but her look said, "we will discuss this later, so just suck it up for now."

I rolled my eyes at her and looked over at Edward.

"Thank you. Really. It's lovely." I said, giving him a genuine smile.

His face lit up, just like when he had been given my present, and he gave me that adorable crooked grin. He pecked my cheek, then everyone made their way to the kitchen for food.

We had set up a sort of buffet because of the large amount of guests we were entertaining. We couldn't find tables that could fit all of us and still fit us in the kitchen, so seating was a free-for-all.

Tanya and her boytoy were sitting on the largest couch, so Edward and I sat next to her. Several of the parents ate in the kitchen, standing around talking. Tanya's guest immediately set down his food and stood up to greet us.

"Merry Christmas, to you both and thank you for welcoming me into your home this holiday. I'm Aaron Zhelan." he said, shaking Edward's hand first.

Edward smiled back at the boy in a reassuring gesture. The boy then turned to me and took my hand. He placed a nervous kiss on my knuckles.

I blushed, as usual and Edward chuckled, as the boy sat back by Tanya.

"So, how did you two meet?" I asked casually, spearing a small piece of ham with my fork.

"Math class. I needed a tutor, he offered to help." she said blushing slightly, before turning her gaze on him.

He smiled nervously before looking down at his plate.

"How sweet. So how old are you, Aaron?" Edward asked politely.

"Sixteen. I can drive now. I drive this old Volvo. It's really boxy looking, but it runs nice." he said, shrugging and still avoiding eye contact.

"A Volvo? Really? I drive a Volvo." Edward said, his eyes lighting up and his body leaning across me.

Aaron seemed just as excited, as he leaned over Tanya to converse with Edward about Volvos.

"Psst. Let's go over there and let the boys chat." I whispered to Tanya, pointing to the other couch.

She nodded and we walked over to the couch, while the boys sat closer together talking more animatedly.

"Funny how when cars are brought up, boys forget that we even exist." Tanya said, giggling.

I nodded in agreement, while chewing the bite I had just taken.

"So, do you like him?" I asked casually, catching the pause before she shook her head no.

"Liar" I said, smiling as I popped another piece of potato in my mouth.

She blushed and looked as if deciding whether or not to tell me the truth.

"If I tell you the truth, will you tell me the truth about something in return?" she asked, looking directly at me.

"Uh, sure?" I replied, confused that she would even make such a deal.

"I like him, a lot. We started talking when I got back from that visit earlier this month and have secretly been dating for a week and a half, but my parents don't know. My mom thinks I'm too young to date, yet she already can't wait for me to drive." she confided, while rolling her eyes for effect.

"Wait, then how did he get to come with you?" I asked, confused, yet again.

"His parents went out of town to visit his half-sister for Christmas and he opted to stay home. I asked if he could come with us, our parents talked and somehow my parents were convinced into letting him come along. He sleeps on the couch in our hotel room, but I sneak to lay with him sometimes late at night." she said, whispering the last part to me.

I snickered at her deviousness. She could rival Alice at this point.

"You should just tell your mom that you think if you are old enough to drive, you are old enough to date. You're almost sixteen, right?" I said quietly, so we wouldn't be overheard.

"In about four months, I'll be sixteen." she commented.

"Well, there you go. Just keep doing what you're doing, without being too rebellious, mind you, and be respectful with him. Your mom may be more understanding when your argument comes up." I said and was met with wide eyes.

"What?" I asked, oblivious as to what I may have said.

'You—you want me to keep lying??" she whispered, sounding shocked.

"Well, um, not exactly—" I started to say, but was cut off by a squeal.

Tanya launched herself at me from across the couch, while I barely kept my plate from spilling my food to the ground. She let go, so she could speak again.

"You are, by far, the coolest person I know." she said, a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Uh, thanks?" I said, unsure of the reason behind her statement, but then it dawned on me and I felt like an idiot.

I was probably the only person she knew that would tell her to lie to her parents, so she could keep dating her man on the sly. Boy, wasn't I just the greatest pep talker ever? _Ugh._ I forced a smile back at her, but she looked like she had more to say.

"I—um, I have a question for you. Remember our deal." she reminded me before asking the question I dreaded, "How did you and Edward really meet?"

According to our parents, we had met at school through Jasper. Telling them we had met online would only breed anger and outbursts from my parents, and who knows what from his parents. They seemed so calm and collected that there had to be some major outbursts whenever Edward had done something wrong as a kid.

I paused, trying to figure out if I should really tell her. I didn't have a real reason not to trust her, though. I mean, she had just trusted me with a serious secret of hers, why couldn't I repay the favor?

"You can't tell anyone, okay?" I finally said.

"I knew it! I knew you guys didn't meet at school. That seemed too boring. You guys are totally different than the average couple. Okay, promise I won't tell." she promised eagerly.

I smiled at the thought of how we definitely weren't the average couple. Meeting online, connecting instantly, sparks of electricity with every kiss, a promise ring, a locket. We were quite the pair.

"We met on that eHarmony online dating site. Our best friends signed us up for the site and we got matched up somehow. We went out, but didn't start officially dating until we started school a little while later." I explained.

"That is so cute! You guys both got signed up by your friends, got matched, and happened to go to the same school? That is definitely the hand of fate, or destiny, or whatever you want to call it. How sweet." she said, fawning over the real "how we met" story.

It felt nice to have someone else in on our real story. I kept feeling like I was hiding the truth, afraid of our parents' reactions, telling us we couldn't be together because we had met in an inappropriate way for their little girl, or the darling son. Charlie always had been one to overreact about boys. I was about to head to the kitchen for seconds, when Alice pulled me aside.

"Can I have a word with you?" she asked, already half-dragging me down the hall toward her room.

Jake, who had been sleeping in the hallway with cranberry sauce on his nose, woke up and padded along behind us. I put him in my lap and tried to clean off his little nose, as I took a seat on her bed. She closed the door and sat beside me.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, scratching behind Jake's ears.

"Edward." she said simply.

My hand paused until she spoke again.

"He really loves you. He doesn't know how to show it in a way that doesn't make you feel spoiled or materialistic." she started explaining.

Jake let out a short growl. He still liked to pick on Edward, though he had been less vocal about it since Nessie was introduced. Even dogs seemed to have short-man complex.

"I know, Alice. I love him, too. I don't want to hurt his feelings, but I hate when people spend money on me." I said, petting Jake's ears again, getting him to fall back asleep.

"Bella. You are going to either have to take one for the team or explain things to that boy. But do not, and I repeat, do not do it tonight. Wait a few weeks, so you don't make him feel uncomfortable, or bad, about his present to you." she said sternly.

I chewed my lip, while I thought about what to do. Jake snored softly in my lap.

"I'll wait until school starts again. It'll be before Valentine's day and far enough after Christmas to get things in order." I finally concluded.

"Sounds great. We better get back out there before they wonder where we went. Plus, I think Nessie misses Jake." Alice half-whispered.

With the mention of Nessie's name, he jumped off my lap and started scratching on the door. What a crazy little pup I had been given. Guess he fit in around here, though. I smiled to myself, as we walked back out to join everyone. Jake raced over to find his puppy lover.

Edward walked over to me with a piece of apple pie. It was warm with a swirl of whip cream on top.

"Thanks. Just the way I like it."

"You're very welcome. So what did you and Alice go off to talk about?" he asked, taking a bite out of his pie.

_Oh, this guy is good. Straight to the point. 'Kay, think Bella._

"Oh, you know. Plans. New Years and such." I said, trying to hide the inner panic that I actually had no plans for New Years yet.

I hoped to God that he would believe me and that Alice would get one of her 'feelings' so that her and I would be preaching the same story to curious kittens.

The sound of her tinkling voice felt like a nice, deep breath.

"Oh yeah! How do you feel about karaoke at the local coffee shop? It's the only place open that night with no alcohol. Won't have to worry about the drunken idiots." she said, smiling widely.

He nodded, his eyes betraying the fear of the idea. I, too, was taken aback. I did not want to sing in public, especially on New Years.

"Great. It'll be fun! Make sure you pick at least one solo song and you can pick a couple group songs, too. But make sure that no one knows what you pick and in the groups, only group members can know their songs." she said, scampering off, no doubt to inform the rest of the crew of the plan.

I could see Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett chatting merrily with Tanya and Aaron before Alice burst into their conversation. This could not mean good things for me. I fingered my necklace absentmindedly, biting my lip while I thought about what to do.

"You really are quite adorable when you do that." Edward whispered in my ear.

I was broken out of my semi-trance and faced him.

"I also wanted to tell you not to worry about how much I spent on that necklace..." he started, but I tuned him out as I began to worry again.

_Did he see my real reaction? Is he upset? Oh no, I didn't mean to hurt his feelings._ I thought to myself.

"...so it barely cost a thing." I barely caught the end of his little speech.

"Huh?" I replied brilliantly.

"I said, my friend works at the store, so he let me borrow the employee discount, plus I got the Christmas deal." he repeated for me, chuckling at my expression.

I'm sure I must've looked awed because somehow, this wonderful boy just seemed to know me, without me having to say anything. Maybe I wouldn't have to have that talk after all.

I smiled at how in tune he was to me and he took that as a good sign, considering he couldn't hear my inner dialogue.

"Awesome. It really is a beautiful necklace. You think we should visit some more of the family before we try and figure out songs for next week?" I asked, feeling relieved.

He nodded and we walked into the kitchen to join the family, while we ate the rest of our pie.

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**(New Year's Eve)**

"Are you guys ready, yet?" Rosalie yelled down the hall.

Alice was busy doing my hair again. Alice felt that whenever you leave the house, you should look like a model or something. Maybe that was just her choice of major speaking, but either way it was her excuse for the "torture of Bella."

We were going to the local coffee shop for a New Year's Karaoke party, all thanks to Alice. We had all picked personal songs, which we weren't allowed to reveal to anyone, and then some group songs, where only those in the group could know the song.

Needless to say, we were all very excited about everybody's song choices, even if part of me dreaded having to actually get on the stage and sing in front of everyone.

We were all ready after Alice pinned a few more curls in place. All of us seemed to have picked simple, yet elegant outfits, most likely due to an Alice and Rosalie joint force. They sure could prove to be a deadly duo.

We pulled into the little coffee shop parking lot. There were only a few other cars there. Most people were downtown getting drunk or having parties at home.

We found a nice size table off to the side of the makeshift stage. There were four microphones available for use with little lyric screens in front of each one. We were a little bit early, so the boys got up and ordered us some drinks while other people filed in and found places to sit.

"Alright! Hey everybody!" a short man with lots of hair announced from on stage, as the boys rejoined us at the table.

There was a small chorus of 'heys' as everyone looked to the stage.

"My name's Johnathan and I just want to welcome you to our fifth annual Kooky Koffee's New Year's Karaoke Kraze!" he spouted excitedly.

There was some applause and murmurs, but he continued on with his little speech.

"We have a sign-up sheet over at this table, so you can just sign your stage name, the number of singers, and the song, and we can get started real soon." he gestured to the table off to the opposite side of the stage from us.

He walked off stage and Alice bolted to the list, obviously very eager to do her act. We all stood up to follow suit, as did a few others.

"No peeking at the entry above yours. I still want the songs to be a surprise." Alice said, a warning in the undertones of her message.

She stood there as a sort of guard, with her hand covering the entries already made to ensure everyone heeded her word. When everyone was done, we headed back to our seats to wait for the actual event to officially begin.

"Okay! Seems like everyone is signed up, so we're gonna put the names in a bowl and draw performers out one at a time." Johnathan announced, as he ripped the slips along the perforated lines and folded them up.

They were all placed in a clear fish bowl and he reached in to twirl them around before he pulled the first performer out.

Alice looked a little bummed that her running up to be first had been useless, until he read out the first name.

"First up, Alice Brandon and her Soul Sisters!" Johnathan said cheerily, while Rose and I nearly choked on our drinks.

"Please, tell me he's kidding." I pleaded, using a napkin to wipe my drink off my chin, my nose, and the table.

"Aww, you guys...I need you as my backup singers!" Alice pouted, while her eyes grew wide.

"Ugh, fine...Just knock it off with the puppy eyes, or I may puke." Rosalie said, standing up.

I followed suit and we followed a bouncing Alice to the stage. We stood in front of the small teleprompters and the music started up. "Whatta Man" by Salt n' Pepa. _Lovely._

"Yeah, yeah." Alice sang.

"Oooh." Rosalie and I did an awkward backup.

"Uh, hey, hey. Alright, yeah. Ooooh." Alice continued.

"What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man." we all sang together, as Alice pointed to a very red Jasper.

I almost burst into laughter seeing Jasper blush, but managed to repeat the lyrics three more times before Alice got to the next part of the real song. Rosalie and I were left to sing random 'oohs' and uh-huhs.'

After we got through the second chorus, I couldn't help but snort at the words coming out of Alice's mouth, trying to describe "Jasper," while sticking to the original lyrics.

"My man is smooth like Barry, and his voice got bass. A body like Arnold with a Denzel face. He's smart like a doctor with a real good rep, and when he comes home, he's relaxed with Pep." she sang quite seriously.

She had obviously memorized the song, as she stepped off the stage and walked towards Jasper, still singing.

"He dresses like a dapper don, but even in jeans, he's a God-sent original, the man of my dreams."

She was now sitting in his lap, while Edward and Emmett fought laughter for fear of Alice's wrath. As we got to the more sexual part of the song, Jasper's blush faded and mine flared up.

"My man gives real lovin', that's why I call him Killer. He's not a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, he's a thriller. He takes his time and does everything right, knocks me out with one shot for the rest of the night."

She lowered her voice audibly for Jasper, who looked very happy to be where he was. The words and their actions caught me off guard and I stuttered through my assigned inserts.

Had they already gone that far and she didn't tell me? We're best friends! Then again, I hadn't exactly fessed up about Edward and I because I figured she just knew what we'd been up to, like she always seemed to do. It's not like we had done much more than the night we had our date, at the beginning of break.

By the time my inner thoughts were done, we were done with the song and I was the only one still standing on stage, looking like an idiot.

"Hey Bella! I didn't know you wanted to go next!" Alice squealed out and I ran to my seat, thankful when Johnathan took over before I could face more awkward embarrassment.

"Alright, thank you ladies! Next up is...Emmett Brandon!" he said into the microphone.

Emmett almost broke his chair trying to run up to the stage fast enough.

"I'm really not sure what I've gotten myself into." Rosalie whispered to Alice and me.

"It is time to really start Karaoke night!" Emmett shouted from the stage, causing the microphone to make an uncomfortable screeching sound, as a very familiar Journey song began to play.

I couldn't hide my giggle at remembering when my mom had sung this around the house, while she vacuumed, thinking it would be loud enough to drown out her voice.

"Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely worlddddd. She took the midnight train, goin' annnywhereeeeee. Just a city boy, born and raised in sooouth Detroittttttt. He took the midnight train, goin' annnnywhereeeeeee."

He was definitely very into his song choice and the crowd seemed to be joining in. You could hear some other tables silently singing along with him, while other started a rhythmic clap.

"Don't stop belieeeevin', hold on to the feelinnnnnn', streetlights people ohhhohhhohhhohhhhhh. Don't stop belieeeevinnn' hold onnnnnnnn, streetlight peopleeeee..." Emmett sanging, putting as much as he could muster into finishing the song with a bang.

When he was finished, I not only realized how short of a song it really was, but people were clapping fervently, including Johnathan as he meandered back on stage to call the next person up.

"Thanks, Emmett! Next up is...Janice Smith!"

I was glad I wasn't up yet because it was definitely going to take a build-up of confidence on my part. Janice ended up doing a lovely version of Howie Day's "Collide."

"Alright, now it's time for...the Virgin Squad?" Johnathan asked, rather than announced.

I looked around wondering who could've picked such a strange name, when to my horror, I was met with Alice trying to drag Jasper from his seat while urging Edward and I to follow suit. _Oh great. It's time for _that_ song. She would do something like this..._

I trudged back up to the stage, going over the steps Alice had burned into our brains. Edward was smiling, obviously very happy with our song. _Stupid boy and his boy hormones._

"You can do this. I figured a funny name would lighten up the mood and make you loosen up, so put some feeling in it, or else I get to make you Bella Barbie for a week." Alice whispered menacingly.

I briefly wondered if I should just take the week of torture, but Edward's smile and wink made the choice for me. The song started and it was time to sing.

"When I see you, baby, I wanna...take off your clothes...just, rip off your clothes...just take off your clothesssssss..." I sang, running my hands haphazardly all up, down, and around my microphone stand to appear sexually frustrated as the song meant.

As I thought about it, I really was. Ever since our little date, not much had happened. It was like we launched to Mars and instead of finishing our trip to all the rest of the planets before returning home, we decided to just hang out for a bit and relax. It didn't help that we hadn't had much time to ourselves to do anything about it anyway. Between planning, taking care of Jake and family visiting, there was little time for us.

I could see Emmett and Rosalie staring at us in shock once I was brought out of my reverie.

"I know, baby, you're frustratedddd..." Edward sang.

"Uh huh.." I sang, putting a little extra emphasis in my few words.

"But, I'd like it if we waiteddd..."

"Mm mmm..." I shook my head no, my hands going to my hair and messing it up as part of my act.

"Get a little more acquainteddd..."

"Alright..."

"It's better when anticipateddd..."

"Oh, just take off your clothessssss..."

"I wanna touch your little, your little hip bones, your collar bones, and all your other bones. And your happy trail, ooh your treasure trail, let's see where it goesssss..." Alice sang, sounding quite seductive along with her hand gestures and body language. Her actions were obviously shocking her "poor" brother.

Alice and Jasper continued the little sing talking Edward and I had just done, getting way more into it. I was definitely going to have to question her about it later.

"If you take off your clothes." Alice and I sang together.

"You take off your clothes." Jasper and Edward sang together, overlapping the last part of our lyrics.

"And if you take off your clothes."

"I'll take off my clothes."

"And I take off my clothes."  
"I'll rip off your clothes."

"I'll rip off your clothes."

"I'll take off your clothes."

"Take off your clothes."

"I'll rip off my clothes."

"Rip off your clothes."

"I'll take off your clothes."

"Come on, just take off my clothesssss..."

That part of the song always made me giggle because of how much we all had to sing over each other and how into the song we all got as we sung together.

It was almost time for Alice's and my big ending.

"Oh, just take off your clothesssss!" we both practically yelled into our microphones, holding the notes as best we could.

"Please..." I added to the end in a breathy whisper.

By the time we were done, the café was effectively in shock. I giggled nervously, as we made our way back to our seats. A few other people were called up before we heard any of our names again.

"I'm not sure what to think. I'm ashamed to call you my baby sister now. What would mom and dad think of this?" Emmett said, shaking his head and looking confused as to whether he should be grossed out or laughing.

"Well I thought it was quite a show. Didn't know Bella or Edward had it in them to be honest. But boy did little Miss Bella prove me _way _wrong. I knew Jasper could do it. He's been a closet horndog since junior high. Just liked to play the 'yes ma'am' good boy routine to get girls. Alice was also a no-brainer, I might add." Rosalie chimed in, throwing Alice a wink.

I wondered if maybe Alice had been turning to Rosalie about the matter because of Rosalie's experience. I figured it made sense and shrugged my shoulders, as Rosalie was called up to the stage. She started in on Saving Abel's sexy "Addicted," which was very obviously dedicated to Emmett, and he was very clear on that factor.

"I know , when it's getting rough, alll the time we spend, when we try to make this love, something better than, just making love againnnn."

She had found a way to make her voice gravelly and rocker sounding. It almost sounded as if she had smoked a couple of cigarettes before her performance to get the scratchy sound. You could tell, however, that less people cared about what she was singing and more were stuck staring at her, transfixed by her beauty and sex appeal even through all the clothing.

"How can I make it through, all the things you do. There's just got to be, more to you and me..."

I was pretty sure that Emmett wouldn't have noticed if an entire family of flies had taken up residence in his gaping, drooling mouth because it didn't look like his jaw would be coming off the floor until she was finished.

"...or the sound you make, with every breath you take. It's unlike annnythinggggg...I'm so addicted to youuuuuu....addicted to youuuuuuu..."

She finished with a graceful bow, then quickly flipped all her hair up around her to bring back some volume. She sashayed her way over to our table and kissed Emmett on the forehead, while the next contestant walked up to do Wham's "Careless Whisper."

"You like?" Rosalie asked.

"Uh huh." was Emmett's dopey response.

Obviously his brain had not yet recovered from its full meltdown a few minutes ago.

"I think we all need a song to calm down our hormones." Jasper said with a sly smile.

"Oh really? So you think you can just conjure one up for us?" Rosalie said, acting her usual cocky self towards her twin brother.

"Maybe. We'll just see who's next."

To some surprise, Jasper was called up next. I was glad that when the music started, Jasper was going to play the role of hormone calmer with a sweet rock song. It was another Journey song, obviously dedicated to Alice.

"Give us a break now, we know it can't all be bad news. Let's get away now, cause when I'm holding onto you...We're all...we're all that really maaattt-terssss, the time...is now, for taking our own chann-cess, we're all...all that really maaaatterssssssss."

Jasper did the song beautifully, adding his own personal touch of twang. Alice was definitely swooning and I'm sure if she was in a cartoon, she would have had those little heart eyes and melted into a puddle on the floor.

"I wanna love you, I'm gonna try to make it right. Nothing can touch you, We'll make a dream come true tonight..tonight..tonight..."

Alice ran up to him before he could even get off the stage and jumped into his arms. Lucky for his quick reflexes, or he would've hit the floor. By the time they made it back, and much to my dismay, I was announced to go next. It's not that I didn't want to dedicate my song to Edward, it was more fear of totally screwing it up.

I was going to attempt Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable." I started off smooth and my fears slowly vanished as I made it to the lyrics I felt were most important to describe my feelings.

"Unforgettable...In every wayyyyyyy...and forever moreeeee...that's how you'll stayyyy. That's why, darling, it's incredible, that someone so unforgettableeee, thinks that I am, unforgettable, toooooo..." I repeated it once more with my eyes closed to avoid choking up when looking at Edward. I made it through the end and walked off stage to a beaming Edward.

"That was beautiful Bella...I don't even know what to say..." Edward said after pulling me into his lap for a hug. I nestled into the crook of his neck, just taking in his scent, content.

There were a few more singers before Emmett was called up once more. This time he was apparently dedicating the song to Rosalie. I think it was safe to say that all of us didn't know what to expect and were maybe even a little frightened at the possibilities.

Jasper burst into laughter when the song started. Oh boy, it was Jonas Brothers. _Poor Rosalie._

"I'm hot. You're cold. You go around, like you know. Who I am. But you don't. You've got me on my toes, toes, toes."

Rosalie was surprisingly taking it like a champ, whooping and hollering for Emmett. Emmett's grin grew while he sang for her.

"I'm slippin' into the lavaaaaa. And I'ma tryin' to keep from goin' underrrr...Baby, you turn the temperature hotta, 'cause iiiii'm burning up, burning up, for you baybayyyy."

Emmett licked his finger and stuck it to him with a hissing sound in the middle of singing and most of the crowd lost it to fits of chuckles and giggles. It was nice that Emmett could make a fool of himself and not care. I knew one day it would make him a great father because kids seem to get the best kicks out of their parents hurting themselves or acting like fools.

He came off the stage to clapping and good-natured laughter.

"We're down to our last five performers! Here's the final line-up before the Midnight countdown: Edward Cullen, Kallie Jackson, Samantha Gallen, Theodore Lake, and finally the group finale. I'm hoping all of you have picked up your lyric sheets from the table? Alright, well then let's have our next contestant come on up!" Johnathan announced.

Edward walked up to the stage, looking as if he was mentally preparing himself. It was strange to see since he always seemed so confident. It was endearing to see him so vulnerable like the night he gave me my ring. I took a glance at my ring and smiled as one of my favorite Goo Goo Dolls songs started to play, "Slide."

I knew he didn't mean for all the lyrics to be towards me, but the chorus was when he looked directly at me.

"I wanna wake up where you are, I won't say anything at all, so why don't you slide."

It was really a sad song, but the lyrics were so meaningful that I loved them. I was glad he picked it, which made me smile more. He took my smile as a way to boost more confidence and got into the next part of the song.

"And I'll do anything you ever dreamed to be complete, little pieces of the nothing, that fallllll...May, put your arms around me. What you feel is what you are and what you are is beautifulll. Ohhh, May, do you wanna get marrieddddd, or run away...oooohoooh ooooooooooh ooohoooh..."

I liked the name May. I had often put it on my list as a middle name for a daughter. The song's bridge made me think even more about the future I could have with Edward. I knew I was going to have a permanent smile for the rest of the night because of it. He came back to the table looking confident and energized.

"How'd you know that was one of my favorites?"

"Guess I just know you, don't I?"

My smile faltered for a fraction of a second when I remembered Christmas. I was eventually going to have to talk to him about it for later occasions. I quickly pushed it away so I could enjoy my night.

I didn't really pay attention to the last couple performers, eager for the countdown and my first ever New Year's Midnight kiss. I vaguely realized we were singing "It's Raining Men," for the finale because I was watching the clock more than my lyric sheet. When we finished, we crowded in groups around the wall-mounted televisions to watch the ball drop in New York. We counted down loudly.

"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!" we all shouted.

Edward quickly grabbed the back of my head and my lower back, dipping me down for an intense kiss that made my eyes roll back and wish we had had more free time as of late. All worries vanished from my head and in that moment, it was only us, New Year's and our great friends somewhere in the background. All conversations were lost and I barely even tried to remember what I would have to do later. I hoped that this year would be amazing now that I had Edward and my new friends by my side.

With them, "my family," I could face everything and know I would be met with understanding and love.

Or at least, that's what I was hoping for.

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**A/N:** Okay, I finally, _finally_, got this finished. 16 pages! I hope you guys liked the song choices for karaoke and that it wasn't overwhelming. I will try and post a playlist on my myspace so you can hear the songs they covered. If you couldn't tell by the ending, something is coming. We've been relatively drama free, aside from minor occurrences (Rosalie, James, Tanya) and now Edward and Bella will be meeting difficulty. What I have planned is something close to an issue that has happened in real life (not to me), so it is not crazy. Even if you think it is, this is still fiction anyway. Please remember that. Thanks to those of you that stuck with me and hopefully will continue to stick with me. I have mapped out the rest of this story very loosely, so that I now have an idea as to what will be happening in it. Please take the time to review. No flames, but constructive criticism is welcome.

-DL


	14. Rosalie's Advice and Room 307

**Title: **The Art of Online Dating

**Chapter 14: **Rosalie's Advice and Room 307

**Rating: **M

**Summary:** Bella and Alice have decided to try eHarmony just before going off to college. Will they find Mr. Right? Follow their adventures as they meet some handsome men online and discover what love is, and isn't.

**Type: **AH AU OOC; Pairing: Bella/Edward, Other Canon Pairings.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.

**A/N: **First, my readers are amazing. You guys leave amazing reviews :D **WARNING: _There will be sexual talk in this chapter. Please don't read if you aren't mature enough for it. There's a reason I changed the rating. _**Also, I'm going to start giving teasers to those that review. They may take a while, but you will get one. How does that sound? I get reviews and you get to know that I'm not giving up on the story and a little bit of the next chapter. I'm already giving them to those that reviewed last chapter. **From the first line break of X's to the 2nd is all the sexual talk, so you may skip over that part.**

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School was back in session by Monday, the 12th,and I was actually excited for it. By Wednesday, I decided to sign up for the internship program in order to get some real experience in a business setting. There were some really good ones on the graphic design list and hoped that at least one of them would accept me into their program. The programs ranged from less than a week to two months. The ones longer than a week were being held in summer.

Edward had signed up for the music internships yesterday. All of his were summer programs. Sadly, half of them were out of state. Alice told me it would just be a girls summer if he ended up going and we could take a road trip to California without the boys. I felt bad for Jasper and Emmett, but apparently they had their own plans in case it happened that way. Of course, they weren't telling what those plans were just yet.

Now that we were only a month away from Valentine's day, it meant present time and it meant that I needed to get to talking with Edward. It's not that he didn't understand me, it was just a form of insurance. I've always felt unbelievably guilty when someone spent money on me and I would probably die if he spent a lot on me.

Alice kept giving me looks, as if to say that I needed to hop to it before she killed me. I decided I was going to talk to him after class on Friday, since I didn't have work. Unfortunately, Friday arrived too soon for my liking and I was sitting in my car after class, wondering how I was going to bring it up in the first place. It wasn't exactly a topic to just bring up. Hopefully, he'd say something that could give me an opening to jump off from.

I pulled up in front of the house and his car was already parked there. It seemed if I wasn't at his apartment, he was at my house. I loved spending so much time with him, but now I was getting nervous.

I kept going over how I would talk about it that I didn't notice Alice coming out the front door as I was walking in, thus ramming straight into her. I fell on my butt, but Alice caught herself with the doorway. Figures.

"What are you doing? You look like you're freaking out."

"Well, I decided to talk to him about it today." I stood up and brushed off my pants.

"Finally," she said, as she placed her hands on her hips, her keys jingling in her hand.

"Where are you off to?"

"Jasper and I are going out. We'll be back late. Don't wait up," she said, smirking at me and walking off to her car.

I briefly remembered that I also needed to talk to her, but that could happen later. This talk needed to happen before I chickened out, or threw up from my own worked up nerves.

I found Edward calmly laying on the couch, watching some random show on television.

"Hey."

"Hello, love. How was school?"

"Eh, the usual. What are you up to?"

"Just wondering what we should do now that you're here." _I know what we could do._

I blushed at my inner thoughts. I had definitely been around Emmett too long. Of course, nothing went unnoticed with Edward and he immediately asked about it.

"Nothing. I was just, um, thinking about something I wanted to talk about."

He furrowed his brow and his eyes told me to go on.

"I just need to make some things known. It's not that I don't trust that you totally get me it's just an insurance policy, I guess."

"If this is about our, um, _sex life_, I hope I haven't made you uncomfortable." He looked thoroughly concerned.

"Oh, no, no, no. That's not even the same topic." I blushed again, but continued on, "It's just a money issue."

"Do you need some? Is everything alright?"

"Let me just talk for a second before I forget what I need to say." My voice cracked from nerves.

He nodded and did the sign for locking his lips and throwing away the key.

"I love you and I love that you want to give me things, but I get really uncomfortable when people spend money on me. I prefer things that are cheap or maybe even homemade. I don't need people to waste money on me for presents I don't deserve." I couldn't keep eye contact while I spoke and was fidgeting with my ring.

He lifted my chin up, so we could see eye-to-eye.

"Bella. Oh, my silly Bella. You deserve every dime I spend. I think it's silly of you to feel so wrong, when I want to buy something beautiful and valuable enough for you. I completely understand, however. This just means I won't tell you prices or I'll make things for you. I have always had a thing for homemade gifts. In fact, I'm already preparing one for Valentine's day. Now I know you won't resist it and, hopefully, you'll enjoy what I have for you."

I threw my arms around his neck and was thankful, once again, that this beautiful man was mine. Having finished the big speech, I felt not only much lighter, but now very curious. He had obviously been thinking about us, sexually, and now I wanted to know what he could possibly have for me, for Valentine's day.

I laid down with him, but didn't pay attention to whatever we were watching. I was sort of ready to do something more with our relationship, but I needed to make sure he was. I mean, I know he's a guy and probably would be thrilled if I said I was already ready for sex, but I knew that's not where I wanted to go and that I still needed to talk to him about it. He was a part of this relationship and had as much say as I did. I also knew I wanted to go somewhere farther than where we were.

I started to think that maybe I could do something about it for Valentine's day. I guessed this would mean I would have to talk to Rosalie about techniques and other such things, so that I didn't screw things up. Now, I just needed to figure out how to get some time away from Edward. _God, how embarrassing can this get?_

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"The List of Rosalie's Proper Ways to Perform Fellatio," Rosalie said.

It was Saturday and I had managed to somehow lie to Edward that I had errands and would be going to his place later on. Luckily, he either didn't care that I was lying, or actually believed me and left with not another word. Rosalie had spent the night at our house and I found her in the kitchen, early in the morning.

I had decided to tell her my plan, and my dilemma, and apparently, she was more than happy to help me out, which brings me back to what she was now talking about.

"Fell-ay-what?"

"Fellatio. Commonly known as 'head' or 'going down on your partner,'" Rosalie was very matter-of-fact while she spoke, as if she was a professor on the subject.

I winced a little at the other terms and found I liked that fellatio sounded more scientific and clean cut and less...dirty, I guess.

"Okay, so do I just open my mouth and guide it in?" I said, uncertainly. It definitely didn't sound right, but it was worth a shot.

"Oh God, no. That's not all you do. Did you really think you could go no hands once it was in or something?" She gave me an incredulous look.

I shrugged.

"Ugh. We have a lot to go over."

She told me about the differences between uncircumcised and circumcised guys. I never even knew there was a difference. By the sound of it, and my memory of our last sexual encounter, Edward wasn't, so there was a certain way of performing, compared to if he was.

I hadn't given it much thought when we had touched each other on the couch. I kind of just went for it and hoped I did all right. According to the outcome, I had done perfectly fine. I'd probably end up being more self-conscious of my actions during future sexual encounters after this talk though.

"Okay, so you say he is uncircumcised. There are a few ways this can happen. There's the 'Pull Down' or the 'Catch and Release.'"

I started to feel like I should be writing everything down, but figured it'd be weird if I pulled out a paper on Valentine's with instructions.

"The 'Pull Down' is when you pull down the skin at the top and then perform. The 'Catch and Release' is when you put your mouth all the way past the head and suck up and release at the top, then start all over. It depends on if skin down hurts him or not."

I was starting to think this was going to be a bad idea. One way sounded easier but painful for him and the other sounded like I was special or something, and not in a good way.

"What do I do with my hands?" I felt so unsure on the subject that I didn't know what I was even saying.

"Normally, you use them to stroke the rest of whatever your mouth can't cover. You can use your free hand to play with the jewels if he likes it. Some guys do, some don't. It's like plug and play...kinda."

I nodded and took mental note. That part sounded the easiest. I briefly wondered whether he would like my taking hold of the "jewels," during the act, but figured I would just find out later. A thought crossed my mind that seemed very vital to the information I was taking in, so I immediately voiced my concerns.

"Do I swallow?" I blurted out.

Rosalie stared at me for a moment, obviously surprised I had even thought of that.

"Well, I have the few times I've performed because every guy wants you to. It feels better for them, since they don't have to hold back to tell you to move. However, it is always up to you."

"What does it taste like?" I said, grimacing a bit at the thought.

"Well, to be blunt, disgusting. I've heard you can feed him pineapple or kiwi the day before and it'll make it fairly bearable. I think it's easier to just aim it, so it goes straight down the throat." She made some odd hand gestures to emphasize her point.

Maybe I could make a fruit salad for lunch the day before, heavy on the pineapple and kiwi. I wasn't sure if I was actually ready to jump to that step yet, and figured I should take it one step at a time, however, but it was good information to have stored away for a rainy day.

"Any last pointers I need?"

"Don't squeeze too hard, sometimes flavored lube helps make it better for both of you, and make sure one day he returns the favor for you, because seriously...Best. Feeling. Ever." Her eyes took on a dreamy glaze and I figured that was my cue to leave.

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Later, when I had had enough of Rosalie's advice to scar me for a lifetime, I got ready to head over and join Edward. I checked my computer for any notices about internships. I opened my e-mail, while I dried my hair with my towel. I found a couple of spam e-mails, but there was one from the school, so I clicked it open.

To: bswan(at)cornish(dot)edu

From: msouth(at)cornish(dot)edu

Subject: Danser Graphix Internship

Body: Ms. Swan,

Danser has contacted the school and would like to accept you into their three day program in downtown Seattle. You may begin on January 20, 2009. You are to arrive at 52637 Phoenix Avenue, promptly at 9:00 am. I congratulate you on your acceptance. Please respond with your acceptance, so I may pass it along to them.

-Maria South

I quickly typed up my acceptance of the offer, glad that I had already heard back from one of the internships and that I had actually gotten in. I couldn't wait to tell Edward and find out if he had been accepted into any of his.

I quickly packed my overnight bag and headed to his apartment.

"In the kitchen!" I heard Edward yell, as I used my key to get inside.

"I have good news," I said, as I walked up behind him.

"Do tell."

"I got one of the internships! I start Tuesday!"

"That's great! You're going to be wonderful. When you're done, they'll probably want to hire you right after you graduate."

I smiled a huge smile, then I gave him a hug and let him get back to making our sandwiches.

We brought them over to the couch and turned on the television.

"So have you gotten any messages back?"

"Not yet, but all of mine are for summer. They have to get back to me once they have my grades. My grades are a deciding factor to whether I make it into any of the programs."

I pouted a little thinking about how all of his summer programs were a month or longer, as well as most of them being out of state. I put on my smile for him and honestly hoped he got one. It would be good for him, and for us, hopefully.

"Well, I hope you get one, but I will miss you when you go."

"I'll miss you too, but we can talk every day. Plus, you might even be able to come out and visit me wherever I end up going."

"That would be nice." I snuggled into his side and we mindlessly watched television for the rest of the night.

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Monday evening, Edward received an e-mail from one of the internships in New York. They told him they were considering him out of several other applicants across the nation.

"They want me to record an original song on piano and send it in with my final grade in Advanced Composition this semester. If they like my song and I have at least a B, I get to be in the internship."

We threw a mini-celebration, but then Edward decided to head back and compose, since I had to get up early anyway.

I was nervous, as I picked out my outfit with the help of Rosalie and Alice. Rosalie had stayed mum on our conversation from last week, or so it seemed. As for the moment, she was busy arguing with Alice over what was the best way for me to dress for my first day.

"Dress smart and confident," Alice said, holding out a black, pencil skirt.

"Sex sells better than smarts. I should know. Guys don't care that I'm smart, they just care that my body practically exudes sex in whatever I wear. I've tried selling smart, _it doesn't work._" She whispered the last part.

"You can look sexy and smart without overdoing the sexy side."

I was starting to get frustrated with their bickering.

"Is someone going to tell me how to pull this off?" I asked, finally having had enough.

They both stopped arguing and looked down guiltily.

"Sorry, Bells. We'll try and agree on something for you." Alice said, skimming through my closet with Rosalie at her side.

They whispered back and forth, pulling forward various articles of clothing, shaking their heads yes and no for each new piece presented. After a few minutes, it seemed they had finally agreed on something.

"We've got it. The perfect outfit that means business and confidence."

They were holding up a white button-up, black slacks, with a matching blazer, and topped off with red heels and a matching belt.

"The red says confident and sexy, while the blazer and slacks mean business. Perfect," Rosalie said, smiling proudly.

"Finally you two put your fashion majors to good use," I said playfully.

I had to admit, I did love how they picked stuff out for me, even if I didn't exactly believe I could pull it off.

It was already nearing midnight, so Rosalie and Alice bid me goodnight and I crawled into bed, unable to sleep. The moon was bright through the shades and I saw the shadows of trees dancing across the window. Remembering the last time I had watched the shadow cross the window gave me a chill, so I decided I really needed to get to sleep.

My alarm woke me up at 7:30 am, buzzing annoyingly loud. I crawled out of bed and went to the kitchen to get breakfast. Alice was already in there, most likely eating before her class.

"You know, I've been having some strange dreams the past couple nights."

"Isn't that normal for you?" I asked, smiling, as I poured myself a bowl of cereal.

"These ones had James in them."

I stopped pouring to pay full attention to her.

"I don't know what they mean, but I get the feeling it's something bad. He's got something big planned. I'm scared he's coming back for me." Her small frame shuddered.

I walked over and put my arms around her to comfort her.

"For once, I hope you're wrong," I whispered into her hair.

"Me too," she replied before she gave my arm a squeeze and put her dishes in the sink. She walked back into her bedroom.

I tried to think about what could possibly make her dream about James again. What if he really was coming back for her? Maybe it was time to invest in security cameras. I wouldn't want him sneaking around our house, especially since he knew where we lived.

It bothered me that the night I see the shadowy trees on my window, is the same night Alice apparently dreams of the man I once thought was lurking in those shadows.

Part of me wondered if he actually had been in those shadows last night, which would explain the dreams, but terrified me. I still hadn't forgotten the last time he had wanted Alice. I ate quickly and ran to my room, realizing I was running behind. I didn't want to be late on the first day of my internship.

I parked in the back lot of the building. It looked plain on the outside, a dark, uninviting gray covering most of the available surface. There was a large sign with curly letters spelling out, "Danser Graphix," but it looked like it needed some retouching. I walked in through the back entrance. It was very quiet. The receptionist desk was empty, but there was a note on it for me.

_Ms. Swan,_

_We are having a meeting to welcome you, on the third floor. Please join us when you arrive, in room 307._

_Thanks, JW_

I found the elevator and made my way to the third floor. When I got off, I could hear noise down the hall. There was loud laughter and mumbled voices discussing topics I couldn't make out through the thick walls.

I found the room easily and saw only two people sitting in chairs facing away from me, talking to the wall, it seemed, with very loud voices. They were making enough noise to make it seem there had been twenty or more people in the small conference room.

The woman had orange-red hair pulled up into a bun. She got out of her chair and walked over to me. I had just enough time to recognize her before the man had gotten up quickly to close and lock the door behind me.

Victoria stared at me with her cold, hazel eyes full of hatred and menace.

The man pulled my hands together behind me and spoke.

"Nice to see you again." A familiar voice said.

_James._

To my horror, I realized they had not been talking at all, as the bodiless voices continued to fill the room. There was no internship. There was no meeting.

I was being kidnapped.

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**A/N:** Okay, so this is kind of short (9 pages), but I needed to stop there. I think I've just about finished the next chapter as well, so those of you who review, will still get the preview and it should be posted within two weeks after this, so that I can go through and make sure I like how it turned out. The next chapter will need your vote at the end, so be ready for that. I hope you all don't hate me for doing this. This story has a Happy Ending, I swear. I just want to thank my girls on the thread for the helpful advice and leave a few stories I want to rec. _Poughkeepsie_ by Mrs. TheKing, owns my heart. I laugh, I cry, I get angry. It's beautiful. _Mr. Horrible_ by algonquinrt. I only just started it, but I couldn't stop laughing from the beginning. She does cuss a lot, however, if that bothers you. Both of these stories are fully rated M, so if you are not old enough, please don't read them. Just want to say a final thanks to my readers and hope you still like me after this! R&R :D

-DL


	15. Across the World With No Return?

**Title: **The Art of Online Dating

**Chapter 15: **Across the World with No Return?

**Rating: **M

**Summary:** Bella and Alice have decided to try eHarmony just before going off to college. Will they find Mr. Right? Follow their adventures as they meet some handsome men online and discover what love is, and isn't.

**Type: **AH AU OOC; Pairing: Bella/Edward, Other Canon Pairings.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.

**A/N: **I feel so bad, you have no idea. If you care what happened to me this summer a.k.a. Summer of Hell or feel the need for an explanation, check out my profile page for a link to my blog at the top. While you're there, vote on the poll just above that link on my profile page. Also, make sure you check out the bottom AN so you can see what you need to vote on for next chapter. If you pick the one I already started, the chapter will be out much sooner than if you don't. So choose wisely! :P Btw, you guys took that last chapter surprisingly well, so let's see what's happening with dear Bella, since she's been Bellanapped lol. :D

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I saw now that there was a recorder on the table playing voices for invisible people. They had tricked me. I knew I should've checked up on the business, but it was too late now. They had me right where they wanted me.

Something didn't make sense, however. Why didn't they want me and not Alice? Wasn't Alice the one that got away from him?

What was I supposed to do now? Even if I screamed, I couldn't be heard this far up with windows closed tight. I was tied to one of the multiple chairs in the room. As soon as I had been secured, they had walked away to plot, or something, I wasn't sure.

They were circling around a table filled with objects I couldn't see, while I tried to think of all my options. Screaming was pointless, running wasn't possible, and just sitting here could be a very bad outcome. Edward, Alice, and the rest wouldn't even realize I was gone until it may very well be too late.

That's when it hit me. What were these two planning to do once I wasn't home at a decent hour? Everyone knew where I was and even if they moved me, Alice, or any one of my friends would call my dad, since he's a sheriff, albeit of Forks.

Unfortunately, they seemed to have it covered. They had gotten onto a cell phone and were talking to a woman that seemed to be in on their plan.

They turned on the speaker, so I could hear everything they were doing to take the proper precautions that many careless criminals did not think to take.

"Hello Maria," Victoria said, in an abnormally high voice that did not match her.

"_I take it you need another favor for this plan of yours?"_ a woman's voice responded.

It dawned on me that this Maria and e-mail Maria, must be one in the same. Did she even work at the school or had she somehow created the e-mail? For all I knew, she could be just another student, thanks to the fact the student and teacher e-mails were in the same format for school.

"How smart you are. This is why we asked for your help in the first place."

"Think you could send Miss Swan's household an official school message from _Danser_ saying we will be keeping her for the three days in a company suite with work attire?" James asked in a persuasive voice.

"_Ahh, of course. No problem at all. Is that it?"_

"For now. Goodbye," Victoria said, before clicking the phone off.

So this was it. They were probably going to kill me and no one would even know. James made his way back over to the table for a moment before he came back over to me. There was a video camera in his hand and a Canon around his neck.

"Well aren't you a pretty specimen? I knew it was good to bring my baby." He stroked the lens of his Canon.

Alice had told me about his "wall of women," he had apparently kept as prey of stalking...or of much worse.

"Edward will know something is wrong. He knows I would always text him back. He'll be able to tell the difference between you and me," I said, sounding more confident than I actually felt.

"We'll just have to see then." He stepped back and placed the video camera next to him on the main table.

His Canon was now aimed at me, as I heard random clicks of the lens and watched as his hand made zoom adjustments. I tried to mess up the shots by moving around as much as I could, but he seemed to enjoy the challenge even more. I settled on staring at my feet, so there was only my hair visible. I hadn't noticed he had finished until I heard Victoria speak.

"Stop fooling around and do what you should be doing." Her voice was growing increasingly more annoying.

His feet appeared in my line of vision. He roughly lifted my chin up to make me look at him. The video camera was now in his hand and recording, by the look of the red light.

"You know, Bella, I've been watching you. Waiting for this moment. You and that dumb oaf took Alice away from me. Edward took someone away from my girl. It's time for payback. You'll be able to see how Edward is doing without you, when we move you. There are cameras on his house and yours."

I couldn't, no, wouldn't believe what he was saying. How could Edward have done anything to Victoria? I still didn't understand why I was the one here, though. I looked away from the camera, though James continued to film around me and go on talking.

"We'll record you for him, so he has something to relive the pain after you're long gone from here. Tell him how much you loved him. Tell him so it'll burn every time he sees this. Give him our pain."

"Why should I do anything you say? They're gonna find me. When they do, my dad is gonna lock you up with no mercy," I said, feeling the anger rushing through me.

I tried futilely to untie myself, but Victoria quickly walked over and tightened the restraints, giving my wrists rope burn.

"If you try and run when we leave, I have no problem hurting you, or anyone in your family. I know where your parents live, where they work, and where they shop. Just keep that in mind," Victoria whispered in my ear, while a frustrated James turned off his camera and set it down.

James gave me water from time to time, as I watched them making arrangements for flights. I would have refused it, had I not already felt so sick to my stomach. I was starving, as well, but I didn't want to ask them for anything both from fear and defiance.

However, lacking food and trying to squirm out of my bindings was wearing me out. My eyes dropped closed and I fell asleep. I woke up much later feeling disoriented and disappointed. The had accidentally jostled me awake by untying my hands, while my arms were being held in a vise grip. They were moving me.

As soon as I was out of the chair, my hands were retied and they led me out of the room. We left the building and I was thrown into the backseat of a very tinted minivan. We drove past several familiar streets until I saw that we were out of Seattle. We didn't go much farther, so I had assumed we had stopped in one of the small neighboring cities.

They lugged me into a house that was shabby looking with paint peeling all around. The living room shocked me.

They had about ten television screens next to each other. Each was playing something else. Live feed from various parts of my house and Edward's. I couldn't hear them, but I could see everybody going on with their daily lives. It was well past five by now, so they had to have already heard the fake message from the school.

I felt hopeless and wondered if anyone would ever find my body, if they decided to kill me. I wondered if anyone would even bother to look, but I knew I was just letting the situation get in my head.

Victoria and James still hadn't exactly told me what they were doing with me. I decided that I might as well find out if I was stuck here anyway.

They had settled themselves in front of the video feed station after securing several locks on the front door. I had just been gawking at the screens the whole time, so I decided to sit in one of the quite comfortable looking chairs. My body sunk into the puffy cushion.

"Excuse me," I said, my voice sounding cracked and frail from not speaking for a while.

"What?" Victoria spat, not bothering to look at me.

"What exactly are you planning to do with me?"

"The day you should be going home from your internship, you'll actually be halfway across the world with nothing to get you back here, but yourself. Your precious _Edward_ will never see your ugly mug again," she said, turning to face me. Her mouth curled into a vicious grin, her eyes piercing me.

What was I supposed to do now? If their plan worked, my only way back would be to somehow get a job without proper papers, or even any identification, or...sell myself. I shuddered at the options before me.

I could feel my eyes starting to prickle with tears, but I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing me breakdown. I forced the tears back and let my fear turn into strength.

"Why did you even pick me? What did Edward even do to you?" My voice did not shake or crack, surprisingly.

"He took someone dear away from me and now I'm finally getting my revenge."

"How? When? How do you even know him, anyway?" I said, getting defensive and a bit skeptical.

"I met him in Elementary school. My boyfriend didn't like him, so he got into a fight with him. My boyfriend got kicked out because that idiot went and told on him and it wasn't his first offense. I never saw him again and Edward decided to be home-schooled." She finished her story with a snarl on her face. I, however, felt like laughing in her face, but thought better of it.

Edward had told me at some point he was home-schooled, but he hadn't told me when or why.

"What grade was this?"

"First," she answered simply, turning her nose up at me.

I was sure she had to be kidding. She couldn't seriously have held a grudge for twelve years. Ridiculous.

"Really? Twelve years? Why didn't you just give up on that?" I asked, trying to stifle my laughter at her ridiculousness.

"I never give up. I make sure to get what I want. Giving up is for people who want the easy way out. Easy isn't always good. Although, you were quite easy to get a hold of. You sure are a stupid, little girl." She smirked at me and for once I wanted to slap the smirk right off of someone.

Who was she calling little girl? Or stupid for that matter? She was my age and she was the idiot who kidnapped someone.

I was getting really ticked, but I wasn't sure what I could do. Sitting here wasn't really making things better, so I decided to look around.

The kitchen had been stripped of anything sharp. They obviously weren't letting anything get past them.

Realizing there was nothing else worth what little time I had, I went upstairs to one of the tiny bedrooms. At least I could get away from my captors and maybe even get some sleep. They had at least tied my hands in front of me this time, so I could sleep more comfortable.

The room I was in smelled of cats and old lady perfume. The bed was hard and squeaky. I could practically feel every spring. There was only a plastic lamp and a rocking chair. The chair mocked me, reminding me of my childhood bedroom and how soon it would be so much more than a couple hours away.

I tried to sleep. It seemed the easiest way to pretend this wasn't happening.

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I work with a start. I had had the strangest dream. I had dreamt that James and Victoria had basically kidnapped me. I tried to turn on my light, but it wouldn't work.

I felt around my nightstand and found one of those plastic kids' flashlights. I turned it on to realize my dream was anything but. I started to cry.

I shined my light on the lamp to see why it didn't work. There was no light bulb. The had wanted to make sure I didn't break one to use as a way of cutting the ropes. It made me feel even more hopeless.

I walked to my window to see what I could in the darkness. The window wasn't locked, but I guess they had figured that even if I tried to run, I'd probably break something in the process and probably wouldn't get too far with bound hands. I didn't feel like trying my luck, as it wasn't nice to me, if ever.

I decided to try and find food and possibly another way out. I heard Victoria and James snoring loudly down the hall, as I made my way downstairs. The living room windows were all locked. The locks had all been broken off in that position, so that they couldn't be opened.

Three of the seven locks on the door were key only. It seemed a little excessive, but they really weren't going to let anything be easy for me.

Giving up on finding an exit, I tried the kitchen for food that didn't need to be cooked or cut. I only found stale cereal and saltine crackers, but the flicker of television screens drew my attention.

There was Edward on screen six. He was not sleeping. He was on the roof, playing his piano. The angle of the camera made me feel like _I_ was the stalker. The camera was aimed up at him from somewhere close to the ground. I wondered what the cameras looked like, since they apparently went unnoticed.

He looked beautiful, as he got into the music he was playing. I wondered if it was my song, or one of his new ones. He stopped to grab hold of his sheet music. He furiously marked away, either crossing out or adding in notes. I wanted so badly to hear what he was playing. I tried to imagine how it would sound, but I knew it would never compare to the real thing.

Having seen enough, I checked what the other cameras were focused on and I saw that screen two was zoomed in on Alice's room. She was sleeping soundly. It disturbed me that James had probably been watching her earlier.

I realized then that there must be remotes to control the cameras. I found each of them connected to the side of the screens, one for each camera. I grabbed them all and decided to see where they were all placed.

I zoomed out on Alice and spun the camera all the way around. It was outside her bedroom window. It could see her bed and the opening of her bathroom, but unless she left the door wide open, he wouldn't be able to see her doing anything in there. I saw Jasper emerge from the bathroom in pajama pants and climb into bed with her. I felt unclean watching them, so I decided to see where the other cameras were positioned.

The first one was focused on our front door, seeing who came and went. The third was focused on Edward's backyard. The small pool he had created was still there. It made me wonder how long the camera had been up and how long they had been watching Edward and I together at his house. I shuddered, but continued to check the others.

The fourth camera was outside of Edward's bedroom. It was littered with crumpled sheet music and clothes. He wasn't in there and it made me feel disgusted at how long the camera could've been positioned there. Camera five was focused outside Emmett's room. It made me wonder why Alice and he never shut their blinds. If I ever made it home, I would make sure they did.

For some reason, camera seven was focused on Emmett's bedroom from his other window. This one had a better angle. I realized that the fifth camera was actually looking through Emmett's bedroom to the hallway. Seeing in Emmett's room, however, made me smile a little. Fortunately no one was in there, but there were boxers strewn about the room and the bed was still unmade, like it had been all his life.

The eighth one was on Edward's family room and kitchen. It had to be just outside the sliding glass doors. How many times had they watched us kiss, eat, watch television and hang out with our friends and family? Each camera was painting a creepier and creepier picture, but camera nine topped them all and if I had been holding something breakable, it would've shattered on the floor. Instead, the camera remote clattered on the floor, barely muffled by the dingy rug under the coffee table in front of me.

Camera nine was completely inside our house. It could see our family room, kitchen, the entrance to the hallway, and the stairs. James or Victoria had somehow been inside our house, long enough to install a camera.

Part of me wondered why they just hadn't put all of them in there. The rest of me wanted to know how the hell we didn't even notice it. What could they have possibly covered it with in order to make us unable to see it all this time?

I felt violated. I needed to get away. I wished that none of this had happened or that I had at least found some way to get away from this awful place.

The first thing I could think to do was to make the cameras useless somehow. I made all the cameras face away from the way they were intended, most of them ending up looking at leaves, fences, skies, or walls. Camera nine was the most difficult to figure out. How could you get rid of a camera inside your house? I tried to find a stop recording button on the remote. The best I found was an effects button. It turned the whole image into a heat sensor, making it difficult to figure out what you were actually seeing.

I saved camera six for last. I needed to see Edward in case it was the last time I ever saw him. I knew I was stuck here another night, but tonight, I was ruining their watch station. I zoomed in on his beautiful face and saw that he was actually singing to whatever he was playing. I recognized the words falling from his lips as the lyrics to Muse's, "Endlessly." He was singing and playing our song.

I couldn't help the tears that were now flowing freely down my face. I cried silently, not wanting to alert Victoria or James to what I was up to. Seeing Edward play our song, while I was stuck in this hell-hole, strengthened my resolve. I needed to at least ruin their plans as much as I possibly could. First, I tried to see if turning the camera in circles would knock it off it's position and break it. Doing so proved to be futile, as it only made me feel nauseous watching the image spin. Instead, I made it face the empty sky behind the previous position. I then gathered all the remotes, one by one, into a pile.

One last time, I checked to make sure none of the cameras were focused where they were supposed to. Grabbing the edges of the dingy rug as best I could, I pulled it out from under the coffee table and used it to transport the remote pile to the laundry room, next to the kitchen, which was the farthest part of the house from their bedroom. Listening for any sounds or stirs, I went about my plan. I jumped on the remotes, using the beat up dryer for support, catching myself often, when I almost slipped off the pile of plastic. The sound of the crackling plastic was one of the most rewarding sounds I had heard in my life. I felt empowered within my captivity.

Once I felt the remotes were destroyed, I gathered the rug back up and snuck back out the living room, looking to make sure they hadn't come down to check on the noise. I kicked the broken pieces under the couch and replaced the rug the way it had been laying. Tired out from my work, I leaned back on the couch and shut my eyes for a moment. Before I knew it, I was being woken up by a bucket of cold water being thrown on me. My eyes opened and settled upon Victoria's furious eyes, while the screeches of her yelling filled my ears.

"You insolent, little wench! How dare you ruin our equipment! You're lucky James convinced me to let your sorry ass live," she snarled at me.

"Why would he want me to live?" I said in a voice that even I didn't recognize from the dead tone of it.

"Because he knew it'd be more suffering for you. I'm all about making you suffer as much as possible, especially after this."

I used my joined hands to wipe some of the water off my face. I had figured that the less emotion I showed for them, the more frustrated they would get with me. I was hoping they would get sick of me and decide not to bother with me anymore. It was a big hope, but hope was better than nothing.

The rest of the day, they left me alone. They didn't want to bother with me. I liked this because it gave me time to figure out what I would do when we went to leave for the airport the following morning. I decided to snoop around upstairs while they were in the kitchen trying to figure out how to fix their cameras.

Walking past their bathroom, I shuddered remembering what a debacle going to the bathroom had become. Checking out my hands, I realized that i should probably wash them.

While drying them off, my entire left hand slipped out of the binding. I froze with shock. Two things could happen with this new development. I could try and make a run for it, praying to God that my clumsiness stay absent for a few hours, or I could put it back on and use it to my advantage at the airport tomorrow. I figured the airport would probably be my best shot at getting away, considering the lack of exits in this house.

I slipped the rope back on with some difficulty and went to look for our tickets. I wanted to know which airport I would be going to, to figure out how far from home I would be. I also wanted to figure out where they were planning on sending me.

I found the tickets printed out and placed in the drawer of the nightstand in the room they had been occupying. I was apparently taking a non-stop flight on Volterra Airlines to Italy. My flight left at 8:00 am from Seattle-Tacoma Airport. Luckily, I knew the airport well and could actually have a chance to get away. I heard them walking upstairs, so I quickly walked to my room and laid down on the bed.

When they finally came upstairs and fell asleep, the sounds of their snores like music to my ears, it was already eleven o'clock at night. I knew I would be leaving by at least six to try and get there early enough for check-in. I pulled my hand back out of the rope and found some old, broken crayons, and a newspaper they had been reading. I tried to draw a map of the airport from what I could remember. It would help if I knew how far they would be walking with me and how they were going to keep me tied up without being noticed.

Having done as much as I could, I stuffed the re-folded paper into my pillowcase and put my hand back in the rope. I fell asleep, anxious and worried.

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The sound of their shrill alarm woke me up. Instead of feeling tired, I felt wide awake. They came in looking tired, which actually made me feel more confident with my plan. They were carrying large coats, a fresh shirt, the tickets, and my purse.

The clothes were the downfall of my plan.

"Get up," James said, gruffly.

I stood up and faced him, trying to hide my smile of confident relief. He started to untie my bindings and even my hidden smile seemed to falter.

"Change your shirt and put on the coat. Quickly, girl," Victoria said, throwing the articles of clothing at me.

My shirt was changed out quickly, glad to be rid of the sweaty, smelly mess. I put my arms through the puffy sleeves of the coat, wondering how I was going to work my plan out once they tied my hands up again. They tied the rope the same way and began to fill me in on our itinerary.

"We will carry your purse until the check-in. We will find a way to get you past security unnoticed. We will hand you your new license and passport as we approach check-in, so that you can carefully show the security who you are, yourself. You make sure that rope is hidden, or else the convenient gun we have placed in our bag will become Plan B," James said, showing me the doctored documents, as well as a peek into my purse, which currently held the gun they were speaking of.

Apparently, my new name was Samantha Whitby, and I was sixteen years old again. I hated that the frail look I had made me look so young.

They left me then, to go get their things together. I quickly tried to test the rope again, but it wasn't budging. I reached under my pillowcase and quickly stuffed my paper into my shirt. I was glad I had thought to fold it tiny enough to fit in my bra last night.

I decided to try my luck with the rope by washing my hands again. I snuck in the bathroom and did my business. Washing my hands, I hoped with my whole being that it would work.

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**A/N:** Woot, almost 5000 words and 10 pages! Okay, here's where you vote. First, would you like the rope to come loose, or not? Either way, there's a happy outcome. I'm also a third of the way through with one of the options, so choose wisely lol. Second, I have a poll on my profile for which chapter you would like to see as an EPOV. Whichever wins will be written by Christmas. After the next chapter, I will really need to focus on getting a couple chapters written of I'll Want You Forever so that those readers don't feel abandoned either. I haven't updated that one even longer than this one, and they're waiting for the lemon chapter. Oops. Lol. Thanks to those that stuck it out and remember, review=preview. Make sure your review has your vote! :D

-DL


	16. Handcuffs and Heart to Hearts

**Title: **The Art of Online Dating

**Chapter 16: **Handcuffs and Heart-to-Hearts

**Rating: **M

**Summary:** Bella and Alice have decided to try eHarmony just before going off to college. Will they find Mr. Right? Follow their adventures as they meet some handsome men online and discover what love is, and isn't.

**Type: **AH AU OOC; Pairing: Bella/Edward, Other Canon Pairings.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I also do not own any songs or websites mentioned. They belong to their respective owners.

**A/N: **I apologize for the long wait. Again, I had ten people in my house, I lost my job, and school got really busy. Everyone finally moved out and I got my mojo back. Hope you all forgive me! Now is the time to see who won, or whichever I just chose anyway. :P Alice and Bella are finally going to have their talk in this chapter and soon is Valentine's Day, so you know what that means! :D

* * *

**BPOV**

_Yes!_

It worked! My plan could continue on. I quickly shoved the rope back across my wrist and made my way downstairs. They were waiting on the couch with their coats on. James had his precious camera around his neck, once again. He was also twirling a DVD on his finger.

"What's that?" I asked, confidently.

"Oh, just a little parting gift for your dear Edward," he replied lazily.

My blood ran cold, but I had to keep my composure for my plan to work.

"Alright, it's time to go," Victoria commanded, roughly leading me by my shoulders to the van.

I got in quietly and let them buckle me in. The ride to the airport was a quick and silent one. James dropped us off at the terminal entrance, then drove away. Victoria led me straight past the baggage check-in and to a woman at security. Her name tag read, "Lucy."

Before she could speak, flashes of cameras were blinding me everywhere. An olive-skinned man and James were taking pictures of me, as if they were paparazzi. My hood was pulled over me quickly and I heard Victoria trying to whisper to Lucy.

"Maria should have called you, but we need to get Miss Whitby to her flight ASAP. These paps won't leave her alone because of her upcoming television series."

_What in the world? I'm a television star now?_

I just kept following her, as Lucy called more guards over to distract the "paps" and led us to the correct terminal area. At the security checkpoint, Victoria secretly handed me my passport, so that I could match it to the ticket she was displaying. Lucy only ran the wand over me, after it was requested I keep my coat on for privacy issues.

I knew as soon as Maria had involved this woman, Victoria could get anything she wanted from her. We calmly followed Lucy to our gate. Thanks to her, we were more than early and would have plenty of time to just sit and wait for the flight. It also meant more time to complete my plan.

We were in the South Satellite, near gate S6, which is where I would be taking off from. Near us was an elevator and a restroom. While Victoria found a seat, I slowly inched towards the restroom. When she caught sight of me, she marched over.

"Where do you think you're going?" she whispered.

"Bathroom. Or am I not allowed?" I whispered back in a monotone voice.

"You may go. Lucy will stand guard at the door to guide you back when you're done." She snarled at me and went back to her seat. As she sat, I saw the glint of metal hidden at her hip, under the jacket. I hadn't realized Lucy didn't check her at security.

This meant I wasn't going to be able to do the screaming part of my plan B.

I walked briskly to the restroom, twice as eager to get away from the retched woman, while she informed Lucy of her task. Lucy made her way over slowly and I went inside. I immediately went to the sink and yanked the rope off my hands, giving myself burns. I stuffed the rope into a coat pocket and pulled out my earlier plans.

The elevator was to the side of the restroom entrance. I had to somehow sneak there and get inside before I was noticed. If I could walk out behind someone, it could work. Unfortunately, the only other people in the restroom were a little girl and her older sister. They weren't tall enough to sneak out with and if I didn't hurry up, Lucy would be sent in to check on me.

I peeked out and saw Victoria reading a magazine, while Lucy was actually chatting up the nearby male security guard. I didn't stick around. I knew this could be my only chance to get away.

I stayed close to the wall outside the restroom and hurriedly clicked the down button to the elevator. The door opened and I got in with one last look over my shoulder. Lucy had begun to turn towards the restroom and caught sight of me, just as I watched the doors begin to close. I smashed the door close button, knowing she was probably coming after me.

I ran out as soon as the doors reopened to the bottom floor, looking back to see if they had taken the stairs. I ran smack into the last person I expected. My dad.

I fell to the floor and skidded on my butt, before scrambling up to hug him. Sobs wracked my body, as I tried to explain what was happening.

"Bella? Are you alright? Where is Victoria?" he yelled urgently.

I didn't bother to ask how he knew who Victoria was or why he was even here.

"She'll be down here soon with a blond security guard named Lucy. Victoria has a gun."

His radio went off on his hip.

"_Swan, do you copy?"_

"I've got Bella. Waiting for suspect to come down. She is armed with at least one weapon. We're in the South Satellite, bottom floor. I need backup, fast. Over."

"_On it. Over and out."_

I had never seen my dad look so dangerous, in my life. Before I could say or do anything, two more police officers came off the tram. The elevator doors opened and Lucy and Victoria emerged, looking around for me.

"That's them!" I whispered urgently, while pointing at them. I heard my dad's gun click, as he raised it at them.

"Victoria Wells, surrender your weapons. We have you surrounded. You can do this the easy way or the hard way." Dad yelled forcefully across the room.

Victoria was angry. I could've sworn her red hair became even redder and she was sure to make it difficult for them, as her hand glided to rest on the butt of her gun. She surprised me, by using her other hand to grab hold of Lucy and walked calmly towards the officers.

"You're out of jurisdiction, chief," she said with a sneer.

"I may be, but the rest of these officers aren't, so tough luck trying to pull that. My daughter is involved and I was not going to let you get away with it. I still won't. Hand over the gun before I shoot. If you come quietly, we may be able to do something about lightening the hefty sentence you're about to face. If not, I will make sure you never get out prison." She opened her mouth to speak again, but he stopped her, "Oh, and don't worry about James. We have him. Got him after he tried running at the sight of us." My dad spoke with confidence and smiled menacingly in return.

Apparently, she decided she'd like to save herself prison time, as she let go of a clueless looking Lucy and she walked directly up to my dad. I hid behind him, afraid she might try to attack me. She threw the gun on the ground and the nearest officer scrambled to grab it.

"Fine. Cuff us. Try it, old man." Victoria's hands were on her hips.

Lucy tried to run, but the officer that had grabbed the gun ran faster and tackled her to the ground. He cuffed her as she screamed and whined in protest, shouting out strange things.

"I didn't know! Maria said she needed a favor! It's what cousins are for! Victoria lied to me!" she wailed, with her face pressed against the linoleum floor.

"We can figure out your mess down at the station. For now, you are part of the crime and will need to be taken down for questioning," the officer that cuffed her said.

Victoria had continued to stare down my dad, begging him to do something irrational with her eyes.

"Come on, Charlie. Don't you want to get back at the woman who took your precious, baby girl? Well, don't you?"

"I want to see you go to prison."

He quickly grabbed her left arm and spun around to pin it behind her, catching her off guard. The other officer that had been their backup had things gotten ugly, ran over to help finish cuffing Victoria, much to her dismay.

They began marching the secured women off to the tram, so that they could be taken to the police cruisers. My dad wrapped his arm across my shoulders, pulling me close to him.

I felt safe and protected. I felt closer to him. I had been drifting from him ever since I became a teenager and hadn't realized it until this moment.

The father-daughter love bubble was quickly burst when I realized this was not over. I still had to find out how my dad had known I'd be there, too. I was starting to get a headache from the whole ordeal, so I let my mind wander to Edward, to help ease it on the ride to the station. I wondered what he had been playing the night before. What it sounded like. What feelings it carried. I couldn't wait to hear it once all of this was over.

My dad's voice brought me back from my thoughts.

"I can't stay with you at the station. They're going to want to question you and they aren't going to want me being there to hold you back from answering honestly. If you don't wanna do this today, I can see if they'll let you come back tomorrow."

"I want to get it over with. Are they going to make me stay in there for all the others getting questioned? And how did you know this all was even happening? Not that I'm not thankful or anything, 'cause I totally am."

He smiled halfheartedly.

"They might make you stay. Especially for that Lucy girl, since she seems a little confused about the whole situation. As for how I found out, I have always trusted Alice's ability and thank God I did last night." He let out a sigh of relief.

This had definitely just cemented my need to talk to Alice when I got home.

Pulling up to the station, I started to get nervous. What would they ask me? How long would they keep me?

My dad walked me inside and checked me in. I waited on a hard bench, while the other officers led Victoria, Lucy, and James straight down the hall. One of the officers came back for me soon after.

She led me down the hall to her office and closed the door to give us privacy.

"My name is Shelly. I will be doing your questioning, Bella, and I feel that first name basis makes the person more comfortable. I'm going to have this recorder on during our conversation. I hope you don't mind now if I ask some questions?" She spoke carefully, as if speaking to a child.

"It's fine. I'm ready," I said quietly, knowing she was watching out for me. She clicked the record button on.

"Can you tell me what happened? Start with the day you were abducted."

The days felt like they had blended together. It took me a moment to gather my thoughts and recount everything that had happened.

"I was told I was invited to an internship downtown. When I got there, I went upstairs for a meeting. James and Victoria were waiting for me. They tied me up. They talked to a girl, named Maria, that works at my school and had sent me the original e-mail about the internship."

"Do you know her last name? What school is it that she works at?"

"South. Maria South is her name and she works at Cornish College of the Arts."

She wrote down the information, then motioned for me to continue with my story.

"They drove me to some old house outside Seattle. They had a whole surveillance system on my house and my boyfriend's house. They had nine cameras. I broke all the remotes so that they couldn't control them. They were asleep. I barely ate. I had stale crackers and water. I ended up finding out I could slip out of my bindings, but all exits were blocked or too dangerous. We were there for two nights."

"Did they ever physically harm you? Was there ever an attempt to get sexual with you?"

"Other than some manhandling while tying me up or relocating me to or from the van, no. Neither of them really wanted anything to do with me. Victoria said the whole thing was a plot to get back at my boyfriend for something that happened in Elementary school. They were just using me to get to him."

She looked confused and a bit worried. I was about to continue on, but she spoke up again.

"How did they plan on using you against your boyfriend? And what exactly is your boyfriend's name?"

"They made a video of me. They were trying to make me tell him goodbye because they were going to send me halfway across the world and leave him with just the video to remember me by. His name's Edward Cullen. James did all the filming and took some still shots of me with that camera of his. He has a prior issue with photos with my best friend, Alice Brandon."

Her eyebrows shot up into her curly red bangs with this new information, writing frantically and starting a new sheet with just James' name on the top.

"Tell me more about this photo incident with Alice?"

"Alice went on a date with him back in August. He has a studio in his home. His walls are covered with pictures of girls he stalked and lured into his house. He tried to force himself on her, but she got away, locked herself in a bathroom and called her brother and me. That's all I know. You'd have to ask her the rest."

She finished writing all the details I had given her. I noticed that even in a hurry, she had pretty penmanship. It reminded me of my high school secretary's writing. She slid the paper underneath the original one she had been using. She looked up at me and paused.

"Are you alright? You look faint. Did you get to eat today?" she asked, already digging through a drawer in her desk.

"No, I haven't actually," realizing how haggard I must look.

She passed me a bag of grapes and a bottle of water.

"Thank you so much," I said before popping a grape in my mouth. The juices sliding down my throat made me feel better already.

"When we're done with this, tell them Officer Cope said you could have the rest of her sandwich. If they argue, I have it on tape." She winked at me and patted my hand lightly. I smiled at her and got back into my story.

"Anyway, I came up with a plan after I found out where we were going in the airport. When we got to the airport, Victoria led me to this girl, named Lucy, and she honestly seemed to believe I was some TV star that needed special treatment. I think she's a cousin of Maria's, but I'm not sure she really knows everything that was going on. She ended up leading us to the terminal and I pretended to go to the bathroom. I escaped from there. I think that's everything," I said, stopping to eat some more and take a drink of water.

"I think that's all we'll need Bella. We'll stop by later to talk to Edward and Alice, was it?" she asked, looking through her notes.

"Yes."

"Alright, then you are finally free to go. You should grab that sandwich and take a rest in the break room. Call your ride when you're ready." She stood up, so I mirrored her.

I shook her hand and grabbed the water before I left her office. I went straight to the front to get the food she had talked about and ate in the break room.

As soon as I was done at the station, I walked outside to breathe some fresh air and try to get away from everything. Waiting outside by her car, looking worried, was Alice. I didn't even have to call her.

I walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. She let out a screech and jumped, but as soon as she saw me, she pulled me into a hug.

"Oh my God, Bella! Are you okay? Did they do anything to you? Did they hurt you? Are you traumatized? Speak to me, Bella!" she rushed out.

"I would, if you would let me," I said, with a half-smile.

"Oh, Bella. It's just so good to see you alive and well. You _are_ alive and well, right?" Worry creased her tiny brow.

"Yes I'm fine. A little freaked out, but other than that, they didn't hurt, or do anything, to me. If you don't mind though, I'd like to get away from here and talk to you privately?"

Her mood automatically changed to one of curiosity and she let me get into her car. We drove along downtown, going much slower than her usual speed.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"A couple of things. First though, how did you know where I was and when I would be there?"

"I found it weird that I hadn't heard from you about your first experience on the job. I know you and I knew you'd tell me even if phones weren't allowed. That was my first clue something was up." She turned down an unknown street, obviously taking a scenic route for our conversation.

"I tried to ignore it, thinking they just had you really busy the first night. But after the second night of nothing, I went into a meditation on you. I had never tried it before, but I had to really concentrate because the images kept changing, like they couldn't make up their mind on what to do with you. Finally, I saw the plane tickets and a passport and that was all I needed. I knew who you were with, where you'd be and what time. I called your dad at two in the morning and told him everything I knew. He got right on it and called the Seattle Police department and here we are now. What else do you want to know?" She finished talking and turned to face me at a stoplight. I could see the dark circles under her eyes now.

I fidgeted wondering how to approach the subject. I decided it was best to just jump in with Alice. She hated when you danced around something, unless it was a stage.

"It's more of a personal question for you. It's about you and Jasper?" I made my statement sound more like a request for permission to discuss it.

She gave me a strange look like she had actually not been expecting this. Maybe I'd just been making things up in my mind and she hadn't actually gone to that level with Jasper yet. I began to blush before I could even get the question out of my mouth.

"Areyoutwosleepingtogether?" I blurted out, running the words together.  
"What?" she asked, looking confused.  
"It's just, you guys seem more touchy-feely, and I just thought that if you had gone to that step, we would have talked about it like we always do."  
"Wait, what? I didn't even catch what you said. Are you asking if Jasper and I are...___having sex_?" She whispered out the last part.

I could only nod my head and make a noise of agreement.

"Well, um, you see..." She ran one of her hands across her neck, unable to figure out where to start. Her cheeks were turning a rosy pink.

I noticed we were turning onto our street, but she pulled over and parked, so no one else would see that we were almost to the house.

"Okay, I'm just going to let it all out...Deep breath, Alice. Okay. No we are not having sex...officially. We've tried a couple times, but the attempts have not been very successful. One of the times, he actually, um, went before he got in," she said, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

"Went? Went where?" I felt very ignorant to all of this.

"Went, as in..." She made a vulgar hand gesture of something spewing between her legs and I suddenly understood.

She looked ready to die after seeing the comprehension dawn on me.

"Oh..._ohhhh!_ Before he even got in? Oh, wow, I'm so sorry, Ali," I said, trying to console her. "What about the other times?"

"Well, the first time hurt really bad and he stopped because he couldn't stand hurting me, but I kinda pulled him in, so I could just break through the barrier and be done with it. It kind of scarred us for almost a whole week."

I was beginning to wonder if I even wanted to get to that step with Edward at this point.

"The last time, we actually were able to enjoy it...for like a minute. He said he had stopped having 'L'il Jasper Time,' to make it more special when we were together. I told him he needed to continue with it or we were never going to have good sex." She sighed, probably overwhelmed with having confessed to everything. "My mom always said, 'try before you buy. You need to know if the engine won't start or if it runs out of gas too soon. If it does, then nicely tell the car that it's a great car, but not the one you'll end up with.'" She mimicked her mother's voice terribly.

"I love your mom. But I have to ask. Does he seriously call it 'L'il Jasper Time?'" I said, trying not to laugh.

She smiled, relaxing a bit, "Yeah, I told him he should rename it to something more manly, but he's dead-set on it. And don't worry, I'm not turning in the car yet. There hasn't been a proper test drive to decide on."

We both burst into a fit of giggles, until tears streamed down our faces.

"Oh, Alice, what have we got ourselves into with these boys?" I asked, smiling at her and wiping my eyes.

"No idea, Bells, no idea. But let's get you home, so you can finally see your boy. He missed you terribly, you know. Constantly humming your song under his breath."

She started the car and took us home. I opened the front door to find Edward standing there waiting for me. I jumped into his arms, while he covered my face in kisses.

"You know, now that I think about it, I should probably shower. I'm pretty sure I stink," I said, once he was done kissing me, my head laying on his shoulder.

He pretended to sniff me.

"Well you do smell a little funny...," he trailed off, faking a disgusted face.

I leaned back and pretended to look offended. He gave me a kiss and set me down, so I could go shower and wash away all the bad memories, although I knew it wasn't over. They still had to set a date for the trial and come to my house for more questioning.

For now, I would enjoy my friends and family and make sure to get rid of all those awful cameras, if I could find them all.

**

* * *

A/N: **I know, I took super long. I'm so sorry. I had it handwritten in my writing journal, but finding the time to type it all out and then edit was a bit difficult. It's finally here. It's just over 9 pages and around 4000 words. I hope it didn't suck. I know a lot of it is repeat, but I kind of needed to put some of the info from the questioning instead of just saying 'oh, she was questioned by the police.' I hope you enjoyed her talk with Alice and the outcome of Bella's bindings issue. I thank all of you that decided to stick with me and I hope I can keep your interest until the end. We still have quite a bit to go, I think lol. The next chapter will be delayed due to the writing of a drabble for Profmom72 who so kindly paid 20 dollars towards The Fandom Gives Back for my words. Here's to hoping I can crank that out in a timely manner so that you guys can get an update on this again. Next up is a bit of a fast forward to some story-moving stuff and our lovely Valentine's Day. Thanks for reading and if you have the time, please leave a review to tell me what you think. Reviews still = previews. Much love to you all and have a Happy New Year! :D

-DL

P.s. Story you all should be reading if you aren't already, Edward Wallbanger by Feathersmmmm. It's amazing and the UST makes you fan yourself and wanna scream for them to get together already.


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